Serendipity

Eyes of the Unknown

Present Day
Karakura Town, Japan

The moon shone brightly against the dark night sky over Karakura, outlining the silhouette of a lone figure perched on top of a telephone pole.

"Huh. What's this? Such a cruddy little town..." the blonde man remarked boredly, clicking his tongue in disappointment. He leapt off of the pole and descended to the streets below. "... I don't know why she's so attached to this place."

The Next Morning
Just Outside Urahara Shōten

"Jinta-kun... can you focus on sweeping..." Ururu said timidly as she paused in her own sweeping to glance over that the hyper boy. He was swinging his broom around like a bat again, and she didn't want to have to clean up the front of the shop all by herself.

"Be quiet! This is the 'soccer' that men go crazy for!" Jinta shouted rudely at her as he took another swing. "Shoot!"

"Really..." Ururu said, unimpressed as she watched him flailing around. Since when was soccer played like that? She perked up when she felt a familiar presence close by. "... Seren-san?"

"Yo! Long time no see, Ururu-chan~!" Seren greeted her cheerfully as she approached the children, carrying a duffle bag. "I see Jinta-kun has just as little self-preservation instincts as ever. If Tessai-san catches you pretending to play baseball while you're supposed to be working..."

"Like you're one to talk!" Jinta snapped defensively, bristling at her comment. "Besides, I'm doing soccer right now, not baseball," he corrected her smugly.

"... It has been rather hot this summer..." Seren said thoughtfully, furrowing her brow slightly as she stared at him with concern and pity, as though she had concluded the recent heatwave must have fried his brain. Since when was soccer played using a broom/bat?

Ururu nodded her head in agreement and mimicked Seren's expression. A vein throbbed on Jinta's head as he clenched his fist and gritted his teeth in irritation.

"Oi! What the heck is that look supposed to mean!? Don't copy her, Ururu!! You'll catch her stupidity!!" he shouted indignantly. These two...! Whenever Seren came to visit, Ururu always got annoyingly cheeky, too!

He flinched guiltily when the shop's doors suddenly flew open, afraid Tessai had just realized that he had been slacking off again.

"Oh~! It is Seren-chan after all~! I thought I heard your dulcet tones~!" Urahara sang excitedly when he saw their visitor. "It feels like it's been years since your last visit! Come and give 'Uncle' Kisuke a hug~!" he said playfully as he held out his arms, waiting for the teen to run into his warm embrace.

PLOP~

"..." Urahara's expression fell as he stared down in disappointment at the bag that she had shoved into his arms instead.

"I've missed you too, Kisuke-san~!" Seren said, mimicking his earlier tone, as she smiled brightly at him. "Look! I've brought souvenirs~!"

"If you miss me then hug me..." Urahara mumbled under his breath as he watched sixteen-year-old Seren flit around from one person to another, bearing gifts. "She used to be so cute... always running to meet me with an enthusiastic smile on her face..." he said despondently, sniffing a little as he wiped a non-existent tear from his eye.

"What did you expect? She's a teenager now. There's no way she'd want to be seen hugging a dirty old man like you," Yoruichi teased, snickering when the eccentric shop owner flinched in shock. He had a real soft spot for little 'Seren-chan'. The feline glanced at the young girl and shook her head.