"Well, ain't the answer to that freakin' obvious? Not a chance. We ain't your allies or nothin'. We're just Aizen's enemies." — Hirako Shinji.
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[General POV]
"Oh boy. I wouldn't have minded sitting this one out, you know." Isshin said as he and Itachi crossed the Senkaimon into the World of the Living.
As soon as they did, a crow flew and landed on Itachi's arm before dissipating into wisps of black.
"So that is how you sent the message. Convenient." Isshin said, impressed.
"Let us go. They are waiting for us." Itachi said, unknown to anyone the crow he dispersed was a sleight of hand trick, so to say. He had numerous crows and other mediums keeping watch of the town, not just for the Visored but for the Espada as well.
"Well, best not to keep them waiting then." With a slight step they both disappeared with Shunpo.
Isshin let out an impressed whistle moments later when he found himself being the one putting a little nudge on his foot to keep pace with Itachi.
"Hai, Now you're making me feel old." Isshin said deprecatingly.
"Hey there! Look what the brightly shining Senkaimon brought us?" Shinji said laughing to himself as he looked down on their two Shinigami guests.
"Shinji, play nice." Miyako warned, though it could easily be seen that all of them had their hands on their blades in a neutrally threatening way.
Shinji fake gasped. "The horror. Oh how I miss the old you."
"Seriously guys, come on. We're here to talk, not throw barbs at each other." None of them reacted fast enough before Isshin was already standing in front of Shinji. He also didn't react when they all drew their blades and pointed it at him. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you all are alive."
Whether it hurt him seeing his former comrades pointing their blades at him with a not so silent threat warning him back off, Isshin didn't show it. His face was set in a misleading calm.
"So, can we talk?" He asked, staring slowly at all the ex-Captains while his hand slowly went for his Zanpakutō.
"Come on now, Isshin yo. There's no need for us to fight, is there?" Shinji said good-naturedly but the look in his eyes was clear.
He however continued, "But I have to know, if we refuse whatever it is you are here to talk about, what does Soul Society say will happen to us?"
Isshin cocked his head at Itachi. "That's his call to make." As the leader of the Onmistukidō, Itachi had the first call against traitors and any type of enemy except when a decision had already been made by the Head Captain.
"So what is it, Commander-in-Chief of the Onmistukidō? Martial law or treason?" Kensei asked harshly. It was clear that all of them had varying degrees of less than pleasant feelings concerning the Gotei 13.
As coolly as ever, Itachi replied casually. "As of yet, neither. That depends entirely on how this meeting goes. But know this; while we don't plan on forcing any decision on you, I have been given the authority to put out a kill order on you should I deem you a possible ally to Aizen or a threat to the Soul Society in any way."
"'A possible ally' huh? You Shinigami really are ballsy." Kensei sneered, causing Itachi to look blankly at him.
"We Shinigami? Am I to take it that you no longer consider yourself one?" His eyes were mostly expressionless but now the glare in them could not be mistaken.
To Itachi, loyalty was not something so easily given and so easily lost. Loyalty to a person could be easily broken but loyalty to a cause was not so easily cast aside.
If they didn't trust the Shinigami again then that was fine but if they failed to even stand by what the Shinigami stood for then he would really be wasting his time here.
"Okay that is enough. We are here to talk. Let's talk." Shinji turned around and started walking, causing the others to follow after him.
They led the duo of Itachi and Isshin deeper into their temporary hideout and when they got to an empty open space, Isshin couldn't help but ask.
"I don't see Yoruichi, Kisuke and Tessai. Are they not going to be joining us?"
Shinji shrugged. "I only speak for the Visored. If they want to join us then they are free to do so." He then smirked conspiratorially, "What, Isshin? Scared that we will ambush you?"
Isshin just looked at him as if he was stupid. "That's the least of my worries. Someone has been nagging me to check up on how she was doing since I was coming here."
"Eh, is that so?" He plopped himself unceremoniously on the ground and rested his chin on his palm. "Well, since you wanted to talk, let's talk."
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[POV: With Kisuke Urahara]
Kisuke sighed for what was the umpteenth time after trying and failing to convince Yoruichi for them to barge in on the meeting between the Shinigami and the Visored.
"Are you trying to tell me that you don't want to know what Soul Society decided?" Kisuke asked half seriously.
"I'm saying that either way we'll know what Soul Society decides after they are finished with the meeting." She said from where she laid, lazily sprawled out.
Tessai was just off to the side watching the two powerful ex-Captains and their childish personalities.
Yoruichi picked her ear and blew away at her fingers. "Also, the moment we go outside is the moment he instantly knows where we are and losing his tail at that point will be a whole lot of effort on our end. So it's better we just stay in until he's gone."
"Really? I don't sense anything amiss." Kisuke and Tessai looked at each other to which the latter shrugged.
Yoruichi scoffed. "Yeah, better luck sensing it. Even I can't sense anything amiss yet I know it's something he'd do."
Tessai still looked unconvinced while Kisuke looked contemplating. "And how are you so sure?"
Yoruichi cocked a raised brow at Tessai, wonderment tingling her voice. "Does the fact that he is a Captain not clue you in? And that crow thing he did earlier? Yeah, that was the bait. So unless you guys are fine with moving the whole base… again, then I suggest you go right ahead."
"… You have a point." Kisuke conceded. What else could he do at this point? He knew they were okay with Itachi but Itachi wasn't alone and he was on a formal mission. They knew Isshin, trusted him even, but Itachi was such a stickler for the rules at the weirdest time that it was impossible to judge what he would do next.
And besides he didn't want to move all this equipment if he could help it.
"Heh, when don't I?" Yoruichi replied smugly and threw a piece of fish in her mouth. Such was the life of an exiled/runaway Captain.
Tessai went and brought them all tea and after pouring it out, he asked, "How do you think the meeting will end?"
Yoruichi was the first to reply, sounding disinterested in it and also as if stating the obvious. "Do you really have to ask? It's Itachi and Isshin, that's as positive as any other sign you need. Do you want to imagine it being hosted by someone like Kyōraku and old man Kuchiki? You can say it's a way of the old man saying he's open-minded to whatever the results might be."
"That's… quite an insight." Were the only words Tessai could say.
"Of course it is!" Kisuke bragged without shame. "She wasn't the former Commander-in-Chief of the Onmistukidō for nothing. That's our 2nd Division Captain for you."
"Hehe. Yes, praise me more. Umu umu~"
"Of course, Lady Yoruichi. Who else could see through this thick ploy other than your ladyness? With you by our side, we shall never be caught lacking."
Tessai just silently drank his tea while the two best friends entertained their childishness, just patiently waiting for the meeting to come to an end and for his subordinate and deputy, Hachigen, to relay the conclusion they came to.
It wasn't that much of a weird thing for Hachigen, who wasn't a Visored, to spend all his time with them. The reason for that was the fact that when they were first starting to gain their consciousness after the Hollowfication, Tessai, Kisuke and Hachigen worked nonstop to make sure they succeeded.
After that, when they were trying to master their new Hollow powers, Hachigen was always there in the event that they lost control as opposed to Tessai and Kisuke who had been pretty much occupied with the Hōgyoku.
He wasn't a Visored but he was already a part of them after all the time he spent in their presence.
It wasn't as if he was acting as a double agent since neither of the groups were hostile to each other, they just had different reasons concerning the upcoming major fight. Hachigen was just the messenger between both groups.
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