Title: It Happened One Night

Author: Shanyetta

Rating: Teen: some sensuality

Category: Romance/Action; UraharaXYoruichi

Summary: A story set during and after Urahara's escape from Soul Society and how his relationship with Yoruichi changed. (Does contain some spoilers from the recent Manga chapters #316-318.)

Disclaimer: Don't own them, wish I did…alas Kubo owns them.

Note: This story came to me one evening. I've always thought about Urahara's relationship with Yoruichi; and I thought what if he and Yoruichi were just best friends in Soul Society and what if a traumatic situation for both of them opens a door to something more? Hmmm? Anyway, enjoy.

Chapter 1:

The sound of his heartbeat rang in his ears as he flash stepped through the woods on the outskirts of Rukongai. He knew that his pursuers were quite a distance behind him and yet he couldn't shake this feeling of fear that was trying to overtake his usually calm demeanor. These feelings were muddled in with the thoughts of the last year. Had he stepped over the line in his position as Captain? Did his curiosity of the unknown open up a path to him that he shouldn't have taken? Why did the choice that he made have to come to this? What had he done?

He could remember Yoruichi visiting his lab one evening poking around and asking questions. Her amber eyes glinting with curiosity as the lights from his monitor screens illuminated her face. "So…Kisuke? What are you up to lately?" She twirled around gracefully to look him in the eyes. His best friend always had a way of prying information out of him that he would normally try to keep secret.

He smiled and placed a hand on the top of her head turning her toward the monitor behind her. "See those readings?" he watched her squint at the screen and blow out a small sigh. She was smart and never had trouble comprehending his experiments, but she loved to make him have to explain it in great detail like she didn't comprehend anything.

He spent the next hour explaining both of his new experiments from their beginnings to the present state of his research.

She blinked, stretched and plopped down, very ungracefully in one of his swivel chairs. He could see her watching him with her semi-serious look. "Yoruichi-san…?" he tried to read her expression. She hadn't said anything the whole hour he had spent explaining, she was never like that. "Yori…? What do you thin…."

He was cut off by Yoruichi's hand grabbing him and pulling him down in front of her so that his eyes were even with her own. Her eyes were very serious this time, "Promise me." Her hand left his robe and settled softly on his shoulder, "Promise me…Kisuke, that you won't get over your head…that you've thought all of this through." Her fingers tightened on his shoulder.

He didn't know what to say. He hadn't thought about his recent experiments as being as serious as she seemed to think. Her gaze remained trained on his face, eyes to his eyes…more serious and full of worry than he had ever seen them. He sighed and brought his hand to rest on hers, "Yori…I know these two experiments seem like something that could get me into trouble, you know better than anyone that if I were a cat I'd probably be dead by now…" he chuckled. Her eyes stayed trained on his face, same expression. His joke hadn't worked, "Listen…I promise…these are only ideas right now. I promise that if I decided to try to use these that Yama-ji will be the first one I ask for permission." He watched her start to relax her gaze dropping to stare at her lap, "Oi…Yori." He gripped her hand and she lifted her head to look at him, "I promise that I would never put you in a position to have to side against your home and family to keep me out of trouble."

She grabbed his robes pulling him close so that her words would definitely reach his ears, "You better not." She smirked, "If you do I'll punch you so hard, you'll wish you were the dead cat."

He smiled, "Scary, scary…" They laughed then the tension gone. She left soon after and left him with his thoughts. Maybe his "good ideas" were more serious than he had at first imagined. I decided to keep these "good ideas" to himself from that night on.

His breath was creating white puffs of mist as he tried to increase his speed. His pursuers' reitsus were coming closer. Had they sped up of was he slowing down? Somehow in the last two hours Urahara had managed to get himself into the deepest trouble he had ever been in.

2 Hours Earlier

On a trip to his lab he was met by the several Captains and Lieutenants laying at his feet in terrible anguish. Shinji, a captain from the 5th squad had a hollow mask appearing on his face. His hands ripping at it trying to tear it off as it grew. Shinji's gaze mat his and he reached for him, "Kisuke! What have you done?"

Urahara ran in to see one of his newest experiments, the Orb of Distortion glowing vibrantly on the floor in the middle of the shinigami. "Hold on…" Urahara grabbed the orb and deactivated it. The shinigami stilled and the masks began to disintegrate. He dropped down next to his lieutenant, Hiyori, "What happened?" her eyes opened slowly, "Hiyori-chan…I don't know how the orb got activated…I had it locked up and it wasn't even completed yet…" her little hand gripped his robe and she whispered a name to him. He lurched up…what!? He knew what had to be done.

Five minutes later he had parted ways with his colleagues and his small lieutenant, with deep regret over taking him. He knew that the Special Forces commanded under his closest friend would soon be upon them all. If what Hiyori had told him was true, both of his "secret" projects were no longer a secret and they had branded him and those affected by his Orb of Distortion as a criminals and traitors; "Dangerous Elements" to soul society. He quickly fled from his 12th squad headed quarters.

As he turned a corner he was met face to face by one of his unseated squad members, Maki, "C-C-Captain…Urahara…" he could see his subordinate trembling, "Please stop…there has been an order issued to detain you, with force if necessary…sir!" The young man had his sword pointing at his Captain.

Urahara waved his hands in the air, "Hora…hora, Maki-san. Please put down your sword." He moved slowly toward his subordinate. Maki jabbed, the sword sunk into Urahara's stomach.

Maki gasped and pulled his sword out. Dropping to his knees he buried his face in his hands, "Captain…I-I'm so sorry…I…"

Urahara pressed his hand to his bleeding stomach, "Maki-san…you did your duty. Please don't trouble yourself." At that Urahara burst into flash steps trying to outrun any more hindrances.

The pain from his wound and dulled in the last two hours as his adrenaline was pumping through his veins. He was only two miles away from his goal. He hoped that the other had made it through the gate to the human world. The glow of the gate stood in front of him. His steps began to slow and his vision became fuzzy a mere one hundred yards from his salvation. The wound began to ache. His senses began reeling with the pain of the forgotten wound. He could feel his blood dripping down his leg. Why…why now…when I'm so close?! The trees began to sway in front of him, the glow of the gate blurring and dimming in his vision. He dropped to his knees and slumped over. This is it…this is what my curiosity got me… At that moment the gates glowed illuminated a human form. It moved toward him. He blinked trying to clear his eyes. The movements were familiar.

"Oh…Kisuke…" her voice rang in his ears.

"Yoruichi…san…" he slurred, the pain overtaking him as his life was leaving him.

"Up you go…" he felt her lift him, like he was a child. With him placed securely on her over her shoulder, she was off in her usual unbelievable speed. "We should be able to get through the gate and into hiding before my troops know I'm even involved in this." The wind blew by his face…with the light of the gate enveloping them he blacked out.