"The heart and soul are closely linked. Your heart reveals what is most precious to you." — Yoruichi Shihōin.
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After both groups of Shinigami had gotten the news of what had transpired in the World of the Living while they were fighting Bounts and putting an end to an half-baked rebellion, they wasted no time in meeting up with Kisuke since he had a way of directly contacting the Soul Society. It was way better than relaying messages through the 12th Division or going back and forth through the Senkaimon.
It didn't take them long before they were staring at a screen that showed the Head Captain and the other Captains of the Gotei-
"Kisuke Urahara, how ironic. Looks like our roles have been reversed." Mayuri gloated at the reversal of fortune. Whereas he had once been a fugitive and the other a Captain, now he was a Captain while the other a fugitive. All that remained was a few decades or centuries of time in the Maggots Nests for everything to even out. He'd try his best to ensure it happens.
"Do my eyes deceive me? If it isn't my buddy ol' pal, Mayu. I've missed you too." Kisuke gleamed enthusiastically which made Mayuri recoil in abject disgust.
"Watch that vile tongue of yours, Urahara-"
"Silence." Instantly the bickering from both sides was quenched. Leaning forward, Yamamoto's eyes stared straight into Kisuke's and it was to the man's praise that he didn't flinch at all, instead he wore a dim smile as he faced the Head Captain.
"Kisuke Urahara…"
Kisuke put a hand on his chest and gave a theatrical bow. "At your service, Head Captain."
"I have a lot of words for you, Kisuke Urahara, but they will have to wait for now. Know however that your time outside the Seireitei are no longer indefinite."
Kisuke smiled. "I expected as much."
"Now tell me, what happened?" While he had already gotten a summary from Itachi (no one knew when) he wanted to hear Kisuke's accounting of the events that transpired in the presence of his Captains.
Blunt and precise. That was how Kisuke reported everything.
"I see. Mugurama and Aikawa are dead." Yamamoto said to himself and breathed out slowly. "Aizen will pay dearly."
"What of the rest of the Visored, Head Captain? What does Central 46 have to say about them?" Kisuke asked, making both rooms tense as they waited for Yamamoto's answer.
His answer would dictate how the exiled will react to Shinigami from now on. Either as hostiles or as allies.
Yamamoto breathed out again, his eyes never once breaking contact with Kisuke.
"Captain Uchiha recently brought a lot of information from Aizen to us, and based on the recent happenings across all three realms, their sentence will likely be pardoned. I say so."
"Do we have your word, sir?"
"Don't push me, boy." Yamamoto said, glaring at Kisuke who laughed awkwardly while scratching the back of his head and looked away.
"Sorry, Head Captain. I couldn't help myself." His admittance prompted a scoff from Yamamoto who then looked at Itachi.
"Captain Uchiha. You will remain with Kisuke Urahara, as will Captain Shiba and Captain Kuchiki. Get ready while you do, I am determined to put an end to this farce that has run on for too long."
After a few more words exchanged between Yamamoto and the other two Captains, the feed was disconnected, signalling the departure of Isshin and Byakuya.
...
Itachi and Yoruichi found themselves sitting in a clearing, not too far from where Starrk kept to himself.
"How did they get past you all?" Itachi asked out of the blue, even though he already knew the likely answer.
Yoruichi gritted her teeth. "It's that damned sword of his. The Visored didn't know when it happened and we were too late to react, even if we expected it."
It went without saying that Kyōka Suigetsu's perfect hypnosis was impossible to guard against once one had fallen into it.
"Baraggan, the shark lady, and your Hollow twin were a problem to keep at bay. Starrk held Baraggan, thankfully, while Tessai and I had to hold off the shark lady and a stream of Hollows, only to be sneak attacked by Aizen when we least expected it. Kisuke had your twin, some blue haired cat, and the blind one. He couldn't stay here for long since Kisuke wouldn't so easily give up the Hōgyoku so he killed Kensei and Love, and kidnapped Lilynette and Miyako Shiba to wring it out of Kisuke's hands."
It was a solid plan in the short window Aizen had, and both Itachi and Yoruichi agreed. Still things didn't add up.
"With the Shinigami now in the picture, Aizen should know that the Head Captain won't allow Kisuke give up the Hōgyoku for whatever reason. Not for a Lieutenant's wife, and certainly not for a Hollow."
That one was obvious. Even Kisuke wouldn't give it up for such reasons.
Yoruichi sneered. She wasn't really a fan of Aizen it would seem. "The bastard still has something planned for us. He won't bother going up to the Soul King's Palace without having first fused with the Hōgyoku. He can force the Ōken but still, without the Hōgyoku nothing is accomplished."
"Whatever he has planned for us needs us to be in Hueco Mundo, and since he has no need for coming out anytime soon, we have no choice but to take the bait."
Yoruichi threw her head back with a deep sigh and laid down on the ground." That's enough thinking for me. I'll just freeload off any plan you guys make."
"… Typical."
She guffawed uncontrollably, rolling and holding her sides as she did. There was nothing really funny in what Itachi said, but then again her sense of humor was not something he had a good grasp of.
"Oh, I've missed this." She said softly. "How is she? How's my little bee?"
"For one, she's not a little bee anymore." Itachi said matter-of-factly, causing Yoruichi to snicker beside him.
She gave him a sly smirk. "I agree and find it hard to believe at the same time."
Itachi didn't rise to whatever she was insinuating, simply continuing unperturbed. "She's achieved Bankai. She's also mastered a few of my own techniques, as well as yours. Apart from the Captains, I don't see any other Shinigami that can give her a hard time."
The smile on Yoruichi's face went from a teasing smirk to a soft relieved smile. It stayed on her face the more Itachi kept talking about her protégé. A sense of pride filled her with the growth of the little girl that used to be on her beck and call from a long time ago.
Even if the motivation of this growth started with Soi Fon's hatred for her, she didn't mind one bit.
"What about yourself? I can see that you're purposefully keeping yourself out of the report."
He looked at her in slight confusion and cocked brows. "I've already told you before. Why would I repeat it?"
She rolled her eyes. "Regardless. Just humor me."
The reason they could talk like this, no holds barred, regardless of whatever side they found themselves on was there was no strings on them, at least none that restricted the trust and relationship between them.
She had asked for his loyalty once, he had given it to her. Regardless of circumstances, no matter how damning, he knew she would have his back first, just like how he'd done for her.
There was nothing complicated or interesting about them. No complexities that bound them, except the simplest of bonds.
They were two people who knew each other.
They talked about anything they could and when there was nothing to talk about, they stayed in silence.
....
[Hueco Mundo]
With Las Noches gone, their choices of holding cells were greatly limited so Aizen went for the archaic way of sealing off Miyako's Reiatsu vents and keeping her in a Bakudō spell.
As for Lilynette, while the other Hollows openly called for her death to send Starrk a warning, Harribel stepped in and said Lilynette would be under her custody, which everyone knew was just her way of protecting Lilynette.
"Are any of you going to say something? Are you just going to stare me to death?" Lilynette sat on the foot of the bed with her hands crossed.
"Don't pick that tone with us, shortstuff. You and Starrk just upped and left. We didn't." Sung-Sun snarled angrily. Her eyes incensed as she and her two friends stared down at Lilynette. "You're lucky Lady Harribel took custody."
Lilynette couldn't say anything to that. It was sudden and while she hadn't intended to leave without them, the situation could not allow it.
"Why?" Harribel, after so many deliberations, simply asked.
Lilynette shrugged and then her shoulders slumped. "I don't really know but Starrk doesn't trust Aizen and neither does Itachi. He doesn't want us to be here when the fight starts."
Harribel's eye bore into her. "And you would believe the words of a Shinigami over us?"
Lilynette couldn't take it anymore and snapped, her eyes watering slowly.
"How am I supposed to know? Itachi is our friend. He and Starrk fought Baraggan to save me. He was nice to us even when he is a Shinigami!" She took a deep breath and said in a much softer voice. "I don't want to see my friends fight. Is that too much to ask?"
The whole time Ulquiorra stood silently by the wall, watching everything and trying to figure out where his place was in all of this.
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