Suì-Fēng-taichou,
As agreed, I have sealed Urahara-san in a barrier. I have also sealed Shihouin-san, as that was her term for allowing Urahara-san to be sealed.
They will be released in 28 days at noon, exactly one month's time.
Ushouda Hachigen
Suì-Fēng cursed. This was not what she intended when she first made the agreement!
Five minutes past noon. Good. If she found Omaeda quickly and gave him the next four weeks' training schedules, she might be able to catch Ushouda before he left. She did not want to explain her personal vengeance to the entire Visored team.
Schedule in hand, she found him, unsurprisingly, in the canteen, no doubt taking an overly extended lunch break. Yoruichi-sama's sudden involvement in a matter that should have been private, her own involvement in said matter that escalated, and now Omaeda's temporary control of a division he had no business commanding... Her mood could not have plummeted any lower.
"Omaeda!" She screamed, slapping the papers down in front of him.
"Y-yes taichou? What can I do for you?" Omaeda had enough good grace to at least look abashed about his enormous plate of food.
"I have emergency business to attend to. I expect to be back within the month, and in the meantime, you will take over the training and drills I have scheduled here. However, don't think that I won't be coming back without notice to inspect your performance. If I discover that you have been shirking your responsibilities, not even your family name will be able to save you. Is that understood?" Suì-Fēng snarled.
Omaeda leaned back in his chair with each passing word, and by the end of Suì-Fēng's abrupt appearance and orders, tilted his chair from Suì-Fēng as far as possible without flipping the chair over.
"Y-yes, of course! You won't have a thing to worry about...?" Omaeda started with frantic nods, but Suì-Fēng already stormed off when she saw his nod.
Omaeda stared back at the door where Suì-Fēng left, to his plates, and the papers. Suì-Fēng left as quickly as she appeared, and Omaeda just as discombobulated.
Thankfully, Suì-Fēng found Hachigen just about to leave Urahara Shop by the time she arrived.
"Hachigen!" Suì-Fēng shouted, catching his attention.
"Ah, Suì-Fēng-taichou, what a pleasant surprise to see you again. I assume you have received my message?"
"What is the meaning of this? You need to release Yoruichi-sama. That was not part of the arrangement we had! You were to only imprison Urahara!" By now, Suì-Fēng's mood had leveled, and managed to keep her tone barely above a snarl.
"I see. I'm afraid I can't release only her. If I release Shihouin-san, I will have to release the current barrier and Urahara-san as well."
"You-!" Words failed Suì-Fēng. The world was not cooperating with her today.
"I'm sorry, Suì-Fēng-taichou. Urahara-san was quite willing to comply, but Shihouin-san absolutely refused to allow it if she couldn't also join. I assumed you would rather Urahara-san sealed than not at all. I'm afraid our terms don't cover sealing Urahara-san again in the event you voluntarily released him, under whatever circumstance." Hachigen did look as apologetic as he sounded.
"Tch..." Suì-Fēng could only glare. Why couldn't he have notified her about Yoruichi-sama's involvement instead of rashly choosing on his own?
Damage done, she needed to make a much more difficult decision: release them, or let them stay? That she insisted on staying together with him, alone, together... Suì-Fēng's blood boiled at the thought.
Suì-Fēng weighed her options. If she let them go, she might as well have used her bankai and, indirectly, sacrificed her arm for almost nothing. On the other hand, if she came here just to leave without releasing Yoruichi-sama, what kind of idiot would she look like?
She mulled over her dilemma for a good minute before Hachigen spoke. "If I may, Suì-Fēng-taichou, your interest is in releasing Shihouin-san and leaving Urahara-san. I do have... an alternate solution that might be of interest to you?"
His words broke Suì-Fēng out of her thoughts, and she nodded. Is he slow? If she didn't know Hachigen was a straightforward man, she would have thought he deliberately stalled sharing this proposal.
"I hesitate to suggest this, because you might find the consequences... disagreeable," Hachigen said.
"No, let's hear it," Suì-Fēng sighed. If Hachigen wanted his own favor or anything equally obnoxious, she would agree. All she wanted now was to finish this business and leave before Yoruichi-sama could start asking nosy questions.
"Before he left, Urahara-san managed to make a device that would teleport the user out of the barrier. If you consider Shihouin-san's release a priority, I can transport you in to give it to her," Hachigen said, taking out a small watch-like device.
Suì-Fēng could only glare at the device in disbelief. She trusted Hachigen's words, but who was to say Urahara didn't secretly make a second device for convenient escape later?
Hachigen seemed to sense Suì-Fēng's suspicions. "I trust that Urahara-san's willingness to cooperate was in good faith. He specifically left this device to me before leaving and expected you would want it."
Suì-Fēng lost count of how many times she wanted to scream in frustration that day. Of course he always had a plan to save Yoruichi-sama. And she behaved exactly as he planned.
Still, she could think of no other solution. "Very well, I'll take it."
"So long as you are all right with the consequences," Hachigen said, handing over the device.
Suì-Fēng snatched it impatiently. Of course she understood the consequences. She'd have to swallow her pride, accept help from the lazy and obnoxious deadbeat, and play along in whatever he planned.
"Please stay still, I will begin transporting you now. Best of luck," Hachigen said, hands already forming seals.
Suì-Fēng closed her eyes and took several slow deep breaths, willing herself to calm down.
With Hachigen's seals almost finished, and her mind clear, the realization finally hit her. What Hachigen truly meant by the consequences.
After Yoruichi-sama used the device to leave, she would be staying together with him, alone, together... for the next four weeks.
She almost crushed the device in her hand.
Be stuck with that buffoon for four weeks, or ask Hachigen to forget all of this and just release the barrier altogether? Compared to ten minutes ago, the latter was undoubtedly more appealing.
Unfortunately, the moment to act passed, and Hachigen finished his seals. Protests and regrets dying before they left her mouth, Suì-Fēng anxiously waited for the awkward reunion.