DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach or any of its trademark characters. This story contains spoilers all the way to the end of the Fake Karakura Town arc.

A/N: Catching up on Bleach has rekindled my interest in fanfiction, but I've been away from the fandom long enough to have forgotten some things about the universe. I've used as much canon information as I could find about Kisuke and Yoruichi's past and filled in the gaps myself, but I may have missed something. If you notice any mistakes, please point them out so they can be edited, if possible. Any other CC is greatly appreciated.

The way I've planned this story out, it should cover about 20 chapters or so, exploring Kisuke and Yoruichi's life from childhood to the end of the Fake Karakura Town arc. The format of every chapter, as of the moment, is meant to be an intro from the human world where Kisuke was exiled to, followed by flashbacks to past events (a little like LOST, for those of you familiar with the series). This may change in the future if I think the pacing of a chapter is better served by past events only, but either way, every scene will be prefaced by a datestamp to avoid any confusion.

Since I'm still catching up on the more recent manga events myself, I'm a little hazy on newer storylines, and Aizen's defeat is a good enough point to end this story as it provides ample closure on what we know of Kisuke's life. There's a rumor going around that the current manga arc might even be Bleach's last, so here's hoping I can churn these out fast enough before Tite Kubo goes ahead and reveals enough backstory to make this irrelevant before it's even complete.

Enjoy!

PROLOGUE

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FEBRUARY 21ST, 1901 A.D., KARAKURA TOWN, JAPAN

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A few miles off the outskirts of Tokyo, in the small settlement of Karakura, the abandoned two-story building stood out within the bustling town like a ghostly remnant of the Edo Period. In the few decades it had taken for Karakura to turn from a poor farmland to a slowly developing industrial hub, the abandoned house hadn't changed one bit. As if frozen in time, it forever reminded the citizens of a past not too long gone. If asked, any man, woman or child in Karakura would insist the building had been left alone due to complications with ownership. After all, superstitions and a belief in fables did not become of a people whose country was galloping forward into the new century.

Even so, Koizumi Haruka gave the building a wide berth as she strolled back home after a visit to the marketplace. It seemed to be the natural inclination of every other resident or passer-by in their neighborhood, but if she was being honest with herself, she often felt drawn to it instead. The legends surrounding the house were the kind of thing never discussed openly in the presence of company, yet somehow, every single citizen, old or new, seemed to be all too familiar with them. Her own family had moved into the house right across a scant two weeks ago, and they already knew more than enough. The young girl realized that dwelling on the matter was an exercise in futility; despite her keen desire to plough into the mysteries of the house, she knew herself well enough to be certain she would never set foot anywhere near it.

Still, she could never resist a look at its windows every now and then as she settled into bed. From time to time, she thought she could make out shadows moving behind the dirty, opaque glass.

On such nights, her dreams were filled with piercing, agonized howls and the soundless fluttering of black butterflies.

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mono no aware 物の哀れ

(n.) (phr.) lit. "the pathos of things"; the

gentle wistfulness at the transience of

things, and the awareness of the sadness

of existence

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APRIL 3RD, 1901 A.D., KARAKURA TOWN, JAPAN

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Urahara Kisuke ran his fingers down the murky surface of the second-story window, drawing a path of three parallel streaks. Through the clear slits of glass, he peered down into the empty street outside. The front door of the house right across theirs opened, revealing who Kisuke assumed was the youngest daughter of the family that had recently moved into the neighborhood. Rubbing her hands against her folded arms, the girl made her way out into the porch, lighting the few lanterns hanging from the canopy. As she hurried back inside and out of the cold and the rain, she paused for a second by the threshold, looked once over her shoulder, then closed the door behind her.

It had to be some sort of cosmic joke, he mused, the appearance of this family only days after he and his fellow travelers had settled into the abandoned building. In a town otherwise devoid of spiritual sentience, the girl was the only one with a fleck of sensitivity for their kind. He knew she was unable to see them; in fact, he'd tested that theory himself, but her awareness seemed to grow in miniscule increments every day. He had no way of being certain if she would ever reach a level that might pose any threat to them, but by then, their preparations to deal with humans face-to-face should be long done. The only question was whether her powers would draw the attention of a Hollow in the future, thus raising the need for the presence of Death Gods in the area.

For her sake as well as theirs, he hoped the day they had to leave their new home would never come.

Well… Perhaps the word 'home' was somewhat of a stretch.

The two-story house was simply the first available shelter they'd found that night. At least that's what he'd led everyone else to believe. Kisuke had had some initial reservations about his choice of Karakura, but he opted to keep them to himself. When the Thirteen Divisions came after them, they would undoubtedly consider checking all the places Kisuke was familiar with first, and Karakura had been one of his first assignments in the human world. This building in particular faced the backyard where he'd defeated one of his first Hollows. His choice had less to do with any sentimental reasons, and more to do with the simple fact that this was the one place in the human world he knew best of all. He had enough faith in his inventions to cloak them from any unwanted visitors from Soul Society, and he figured that hiding exactly where everyone expected him to be would be seen as counter-intuitive for someone like him.

Still, there were those in Soul Society who understood him well enough to be able to call his bluff. One person in particular came to mind. However, Kisuke had the distinct impression Aizen simply wouldn't bother pursuing him, at least for the time being. So far, he appeared to be right in his assessment.

In the two months since their escape from Soul Society, their base of operations hadn't changed much. Tessai's barriers made certain to conceal all light and mute any sounds to the outside world; keeping up the appearance of an abandoned building was paramount, but none of them seemed to be willing to put any effort into improving the interior. Save from the one room upstairs where they slept and shared their meals, the remainder of the house was in a sorry state. The floors and scant furnishings were still covered in a thick veil of dust, and the only spots that had been given the slightest amount of attention were a few broken windows and cracks in the floor which had to be sealed to keep the cold at bay.

Maybe they were all hoping this was only a temporary hiding place.

Hearing the floorboards creak behind him, Kisuke tore his gaze away from the rain-pelted street and looked over his shoulder. Hirako was approaching him, adjusting the sash of his drab, light grey kimono. It had been nearly a month now that he had become stable, but Kisuke still never failed to feel relief at the sight of his normal face. "How does it fit?" Kisuke asked him, referring to the clothes.

Securing period-appropriate clothing and footwear for all of them had been a monster of a task, but Tessai had delivered. All ten kimono and black haori were identical in color and shape, making Kisuke wonder briefly just where Tessai had unearthed them from. They only differed in size and Kisuke's was a little snug around the shoulders, but otherwise perfectly passable.

Hirako shrugged at the question, running his palms over the starchy material at the front. "It'll do. Now, the body is another story…" he said with a grimace, holding up his own right hand and inspecting it from all possible angles.

Kisuke turned around to face him fully, leaning against the one spot in the wall behind him that wasn't cobweb-infested. "That's to be expected. It's when it starts feeling a little too comfortable that you should worry. Leaving a gigai when you're too attuned to it will not be pleasant," he said.

"Well, it's done everything you promised it would," Hirako said, giving his hand a shake and letting it fall to his side. "I didn't come here to complain about it, anyway," he said. For a moment, he hesitated before speaking again. "Listen, Kisuke—"

"You're going," Kisuke finished for him, having expected this conversation for a while now. There was no rancor in his voice as he said it, but he couldn't deny their company would be missed. This wasn't a reality any of them would be getting used to any time soon, and being surrounded by familiar faces, especially friends, had made the transition a little easier to take. Still, he could see why they were choosing to leave. Despite every piece of their former selves they'd been able to hold on to, they were different now. They needed to find their own place in the world, and commiserating about their collective status as exiles would benefit no-one. A separation was imminent and there was no need to prolong it.

"Yeah," Hirako said. "Might as well, right? Was bound to happen at one point or another."

Kisuke simply nodded, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Are you leaving Karakura?"

"Probably," Hirako said, his eyes shifting toward the room where the rest of his companions sat, already packed to leave at a moment's notice by the looks of it. None of them were speaking to each other, nor were they making eye-contact. "Might wander for a while, see what's out there."

Kisuke's eyes fell upon Hiyori. For such a petite person, she had never looked her size in all the time they'd spent together. Her bristly demeanor and no-nonsense attitude tended to make others overlook the height difference. Tonight, she looked truly small for the first time in all the nine years he'd known her. "How's… How's Hiyori?" he asked, swallowing hard.

Hirako scoffed at the sound of that. "As if she'd ever tell me. But you know her; she'll be fine."

Kisuke let out a sigh and nodded again, slowly letting his head fall back against the wall. "I guess."

"Hey, none o' that crap," Hirako said, suddenly reaching out and grasping the front of Kisuke's clothes, forcing them to lock gazes again. "Don't go blaming yourself for this. Don't you dare."

Kisuke shook his head, feeling the ridiculous urge to break into hysterical laughter. "You warned me," he said, looking at Hirako without really seeing him.

It had taken sixty one days, but their reality had finally, truly hit him, now that there was no mystery to solve or a project to sink his teeth in. Even in that respect, he'd failed spectacularly. For once, he had no answers. The vaccine he'd administered back in Soul Society had stopped the change, but the only progress they'd been able to make since then was suppress their inner Hollows, and there was no telling how long that would last. Without the materials and equipment in his lab, he could do nothing more for them. They were stuck, all of them, in a world where the available resources and technology might never catch up to their needs.

Had they really been so naïve as to think they could escape Soul Society forever? And even if they did, what next? Panic surging out of him, Kisuke was unable to contain his laughter anymore. Exiled, alone, hunted by a force which not only outnumbered them, but had the resources to outmaneuver them as well. And still no sign of Yoruichi. It felt like he was being held down underwater, his arms paralyzed, Aizen's face looming over the surface of the water. How? How had he not seen? How had he not—

"You warned me," Kisuke repeated. "You told me he was up to something. Years ago," he said. "And I… I knew… I've known, ever since he was a kid, that something—"

Hirako let go of Kisuke, frowning. "Yeah, well… I wasn't exactly prepared for this, either. So I guess it's on both of us."

Running a hand through his hair, Kisuke let out a few final, hollow chuckles, trying to regain his composure.

"Which is why," Hirako went on. "When you get around to paying that son-of-a-bitch back, I want in."

That effectively sobered Kisuke up. His entire body went stiff, as he and Hirako shared a look that conveyed enough without any need to speak. Kisuke hadn't said a word or even thought about revenge ever since they'd arrived at the human world. There had simply been no time to focus on anything other than working on reversing Hollowification. In the precious few moments in between rest and work, his thoughts had never strayed away from the one person whose absence was becoming not only unbearable, but more and more worrisome every day. And yet, when Hirako spat out the words, his eyes darkening, Kisuke realized that paying Aizen back for every life he'd destroyed had always been a given. He hadn't even considered it, because there was never any doubt in his mind that Aizen would get what was coming to him, sooner or later.

It was a fool's hope, perhaps. It had been only a moment ago that he'd truly taken a look at their situation and nearly crumbled, but something in Hirako's voice instilled a little warmth into Kisuke's cold insides. He'd promised them all, hadn't he, that he'd find a way?

A fool's hope, no doubt.

"You bet…" Kisuke said, feeling his face break into a smile for the first time since leaving Soul Society. "…Shinji."

Hirako let out a groan, shaking his head at him. "Nine. Years. Nine damn years of hearing your sorry ass call me Hirako even when you were drunk as a skunk, and now you call me Shinji? Bastard."

They shared a moment of pure, unadulterated laughter, the first not to be brought on by hysteria. It felt like catharsis. Like the beginning of something, rather than a goodbye.

The exchange drew the attention of everyone else as well. It wasn't often that any sound other that sighs of frustration echoed through these walls, as the eight former Death Gods came up against wall after wall in their efforts to reverse the Hollowification process. The haphazardly-built room below the foundations of the building held an equally grim aura; Kisuke hadn't had the heart to expand it, both because it was too much of a reminder of his previous life, and because it had been tainted by the wraithlike wails of his friends, during their struggle to master themselves and tame their inner Hollows. The mere notion of laughter in this house of despair was outlandish enough, let alone the actual deed, and it turned the heads of Hirako's companions.

Hiyori in particular gave both of them her signature displeased grimace and got up, making her way over to them. "What are you two idiots laughing about?" she asked, resting a hand on her hip. "Go on, spit it out. We could all use a laugh; it's been like a cemetery in here for ages."

Kisuke turned to look at her, now understanding that their time together was limited; if he waited until he was able to pluck up the courage to approach her first, she would leave before he got the chance to say everything he'd been meaning to tell her. "Hey, Hirako—" Kisuke said.

"Ugh, seriously? It's back to Hirako now?"

Kisuke grinned at him. "Can I have a moment?" He motioned toward Hiyori with his head.

The scowl left Hirako's face, only to be replaced with a softer expression, one Kisuke wouldn't have associated with him before. "Yeah, sure. Take all the time you want," he said, sauntering away to give him and Hiyori some privacy.

"If I hear anything sappy leave your mouth, I'm outta here," Hiyori was quick to say the second Hirako left, glaring at Kisuke.

He hadn't really thought about this until now, but Kisuke suddenly realized this was the first time they'd spoken a word to each other since he'd asked Hiyori to go help the Ninth Division in his stead.

"Sorry, you're the only one I can trust with this."

"I'm counting on you, Hiyori."

Hirako had told him not to blame himself, but how could he not, when it came to Hiyori? Yoruichi's admonitions rang in his head even as he felt the guilt bubble up to the surface again. It was true, Hiyori was more than capable of taking care of herself, but these had been special circumstances and he should have seen it.

"Hiyori…" he began, his gaze slipping down toward the floor. Saying what he needed to say with her looking at him, seeing right through him, was impossible. "I—"

"If you'd gone yourself, none of us would be alive today," Hiyori said, interrupting him.

Kisuke's eyes shot right back at her in shock. Was he that transparent?

Hiyori let out a sigh. "What, you think I hadn't figured it out?" she said, looking smug. It was the first change in her darkened expression since they'd stepped foot in the human world. "You've been giving me puppy eyes for two months now, looking away whenever I caught you staring. It wasn't hard to guess what was going on in that thing of yours you call a brain."

The silence between them stretched out, Kisuke unsure of what to say next as he gave her a reluctant smile. He could count his true friends in the palm of a single hand and out of all of them, she had been the hardest one to win over. She needed her time, Hiyori did, but if one bothered to put in the effort, she would be loyal for life. She hadn't once proven him wrong yet, not even now, when she had every right to. Kisuke opened his mouth to speak, but swallowed his words right back when he saw the threatening expression on Hiyori's face. She'd given him ample warning; he was not allowed to veer into sappy territory. So, instead of saying what he meant to, instead of a goodbye, he said, "Will you guys stay for dinner? Tessai is making ramen."

Hiyori shrugged, looking away. Kisuke had to wonder if part of her hadn't been longing for some sappiness, after all. "What's he even making it with? There hasn't been any fresh meat in the market for days."

"I suppose we'll find out soon enough," Kisuke said, shrugging as well.

"Are you trying to poison us?" Hiyori asked, meeting his gaze again, eyes narrowed.

"Well… if it'll keep you here a little longer…" Kisuke trailed off, grinning at her.

He saw her lips purse together, trembling ever so slightly. Her face flushed to a brilliant shade of red and she had to look away once more. "If I get so much as a whiff of rat, I'm killing both you and Tessai," she muttered, marching her way back to their makeshift bedroom. "You first. Slowly. With a rusty knife."

Smiling at her departing form, Kisuke leaned back against the wall. Speaking to Hirako and Hiyori had been something he'd been dreading for a long while. Part of him had known all along that the moment this temporary fellowship was over, he would lose all momentum and allow the reality of their situation to sink in. Their departure would be the final nail in the coffin Aizen had thrust him into: a reminder of his failure to save two of his closest friends and many dear colleagues. It shamed him to realize that out of their whole group, he was the only one who had almost fallen to pieces, while also being the one who had been affected the least. If he truly meant to keep his promise to Hirako, he could not allow another meltdown like this.

All right. You can have tonight, he told himself. Just for tonight, after everyone is gone and Tessai asleep, you can wallow in self-pity. Let it all out, sink into the deepest, darkest hole and then, in the morning, claw your way out again. Make a plan. Solve the problem piece by piece. Keep your promise.

Turning to face the window again, Kisuke watched the rain fall across the rooftops of the neighboring houses. It was a strange little world, this human realm. Unravelling its secrets while encumbered by the limitations of this body would be a challenge, if nothing else. He wondered what it would be like, standing under the rain. Even the simple act of breathing was a learning experience, his mind getting accustomed to the new way he experienced sensations. Every sound, every scent felt like a cheap facsimile, a distant echo of what it had once been, as though he were trapped under a thick membrane that dulled his senses.

They could not begin to imagine, humans, what it felt like to smell power, hear colors, see the forces of the universe at play with their own eyes.

He closed his eyes, sighing. Would he ever hear it again? The otherworldly cry of the Hell Butterfly? Would he ever feel it again? The intimate touch of two spirit essences, intertwined in harmony?

Yoruichi…

"LORD URAHARA!"

Kisuke's head whipped around towards the sound of Tessai's voice, his hand reaching for his blade instinctively. There was a loud rush of footsteps as Tessai ran up to the second floor and burst through the door, panting.

Hirako and his companions stepped out of the bedroom, all sharing identical expressions of alarm.

"They found us?" Hiyori asked, looking scared but determined not to go down without a fight.

Tessai shook his head, trying to catch his breath. He turned to look at Kisuke and addressed him and him alone. "I think… I think it's her."

Kisuke felt his breath freeze into his lungs, eyes widening. Without pausing for a single beat, he looked outside the window again, searching frantically for a sign, any sign that she had finally come. And there she was; a black cat trotting down the muddy path under the rain. She raised her head, taking in her surroundings, until her golden eyes moved over towards the window he was standing behind. The barrier would keep him invisible, but she must have been able to sense it. He watched as she held her gaze on that spot for a moment, then started moving towards the building.

He was never even aware of doing it. All Kisuke knew was that one second he was in his synthetic body, and the next he wasn't, his white captain's haori rippling behind him as he sprinted across the room.

"Oi! Kisuke, wait! Don't!" Hirako yelled, making a move to stop him even though he must've belatedly realized it was futile. He struggled for a second, trying to leave his own gigai, before Tessai placed a firm hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

Kisuke's spiritual body glided right through them as he jumped, coming to a stop at the landing right outside the door. Chest heaving, he waited for a hint of movement, eyes trained on the broken window by the front door downstairs. After a moment of stillness, nothing but the rain disrupting the absolute silence in the house, Kisuke heard the soft pattering of small footsteps outside on the porch. A slim shadow squeezed through the broken window, landing inside the house in a small puff of dust, and then a pair of yellow eyes peered at him through the darkness.

When the shadow began to grow, Kisuke released the breath he had been holding since Tessai first told him he had seen her. No, not really. I've been holding my breath for sixty one days now.

As he broke into a run, thundering down the steps, he saw the bright silver sheen of a new barrier encircle the house. He would have to thank Tessai later; the barrier masking their spiritual presence could only do so for a short time before it became detectable, but even a few seconds would be enough.

The moment Kisuke made it downstairs, a slender figure stepped out of the darkness, arms held out, and he crashed into her, enveloping her trembling body in a tight embrace, afraid she would vanish if he didn't hold on hard enough. Yoruichi buried her face into the crook of his neck, her hands clawing at his back, digging into his hair.

Their lips sought one another, and as Kisuke closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of rain and her, for the very first time, the run-down house felt like home.

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A/N: On a brief first note, I've noticed the series is a little inconsistent when it comes to spirits interacting with matter. Sometimes they pass through walls, other times they destroy everything in their wake. I'll assume the natural state is to affect matter, but spirits can pass their way through when they will themselves to.

Secondly, I'll share some thoughts I have on the use of gigai with you. If you're only interested in how I plan to handle it in the story, just skip straight to the last two paragraphs.

Thinking about gigai mechanics in Bleach makes my head hurt. Okay, so, there's this invention that acts as a vessel for a Shinigami's soul and makes them visible to humans. Simple. But when you start thinking about Kisuke, things get very confusing. We know he used a gigai for at least some time in exile and it masks his spirit force. But whenever we see him fight, it's always in his normal outfit, never Shinigami/Captain robes. All right, so… he…. bought the same… 'spirit clothes' as the stuff his gigai wears…? (lawl) Either that, or he found a way to allow gigais some limited use of Shinigami powers. Which works, considering Rukia can use Kidou when in her gigai. But then if the gigai is limited, why did he rush into important battles (ie Yammy and later on Aizen) looking like he always does? Not even an ultra special gigai makes sense here, as he'd want his full powers. Spirit clothes are starting to sound pretty good right about now, aren't they? _

But wait! What about Yoruichi? I think she was only seen by spiritually-sensitive humans and Shinigami as a cat, and in the end of the pendulum arc, she hints that she can 'escape on her own,' which must mean that her cat form suppresses her spirit force. But after the Soul Society arc she's in her regular form in Karakura town, so Kisuke must've made a gigai for her. But again, she fights in her regular outfit…? Which is the clothes she first recovered in… Soul Society? (I'm telling ya, it's friggin' spirit clothes) So is she in a gigai when in Karakura, or….? But wait! Doesn't Kisuke also tell Rukia she shouldn't align with her gigai too well, or it'll be hell when she leaves it? She's only in a gigai for a few months, while he's been using his non-stop (that we know of) for a hundred years! Surely anyone who knows this would make certain not to use his gigai unless he absolutely had to, but then how does he counter that problem if his gigai is the only thing keeping him hidden? ARGHHHHHHHH!

Obviously, this is a plot hole and whenever there's an Important Battle™ going on where Kisuke and Yoruichi are involved, we're meant to assume they're in spirit form, since they wouldn't want to be seen by humans and would want to be in full powers mode. Tibe Kubo probably just thought ol' Sandal-Hat and Cat Lady just wouldn't look the same without their fabulous outfits, so he handwaved this, or simply didn't think the mechanics through.

But it still bugs the hell out of me, so this is what I'm going with: When Kisuke designed his ten special gigai before escaping, he predicted the need to use at least some powers in the human world and implemented said feature in his design. Later on, he created one for Yoruichi as well. Do not ask me where he found the components to build them or ANY of his inventions early on in the human world! He just…. DID, okay?! He used SCIENCE, there (kidding aside, I am actually going to explore this soon enough). So yes, special gigai for himself, the visored, Yoruichi and Tessai (Jinta and Ururu are another headache for another time) which allow the use of some Shinigami powers and still conceal their spirit essence. Later on in the manga, Aizen's treachery has already been revealed, so even though Soul Society didn't exactly shake hands with Kisuke and Yoruichi, they didn't seem to be considered traitors anymore. It's never acknowledged openly, but they do work together, so at this point, I'm assuming they still use their gigais to interact with humans when needed, but can freely change into their actual forms (wearing spirit clothes!) without fearing the sudden presence of their essences will trigger alarms all over Soul Society.

As for how Kisuke keeps from aligning with his gigai too much, I do have an explanation, but this is getting way too long already, so it'll be mentioned in a future chapter when appropriate. WALL OF TEXT OVER.