Author Notes: This chapter is mainly focused on some of Kisuke's past and Yoruichi's with the highlight being her display of abilities, ones of which she doesn't take pride in as they revolve around more arcane usages than her usual hand to hand and speed type combat. Plus, the fact that it causes her to go into becoming more of a cat makes it worse.
Also, Keisō shows more of his abilities before the Dio Hueco abruptly kills Kisuke and moves things from bad to worse with everyone dealing with the aftermath.
Chapter 20: The Sad Duet
320 Years Ago- Shihōin
In a fancy orange tinted noble house, a girl of noble birth asked an important question.
"What happened to Grandpa?," asked a young, dark skinned girl to her father, a handsome man with chin-length purple hair and golden iris eyes. He had a cat's tail poking out from his backside.
Yorukage Shihōin- Current Head of the Clan.
He was accompanied a young man with a low black ponytail and similar skin tone and eyes. He wore similar robes to his father.
Yūkurō Shihōin- Intended Heir to the Clan
Yoruichi was hugged from behind by a dark skinned girl with long purple hair, wide yellow iris eyes and a loose kimono.
Yoruyami Shihōin- Yoruichi's Older Sister.
"Tch, I don't need something like that. I need an answer.," said the girl.
"She's right Yoruyami. Back off.," said a calm voice.
A woman with black hair, fair skin and gray iris eyes looked on.
Kurokuya Shihōin- Mother of Yoruichi, Yoruyami, Yūkurō, and in the future Yūshirō. A daughter of a Branch family of the Kuchiki.
Yoruyami pouted as she left her younger sister.
"Why is she so teasing?," asked the young man.
"And what will you do with that answer?," asked Yorukage, ignoring Yoruichi's recent statement and heading start to the first question she asked.
"Get those bureaucrats at the Central 46 to reverse it-," Yoruichi said before Yorukage grabbed her tongue forcefully.
"I had a jackass brother who charged in headfirst into anything without a second thought. He takes after the Shiba in that aspect. We're much smarter than that. We keep to the shadows and we do whatever we can to save our hides. We're not the proud Kuchiki or the aristocratic Tsunayashiro. Not even the sycophantic Nārākū. We have to tread carefully in order to stay alive.," he said sternly and coldly.
He then loosened her tongue as he then pointed to two youths, a tall boy with cornrowed hair and a thin boy with pale blonde hair.
"They're of the Tsukabishi and the Nārākū Clan. Though, the latter is less qualified to be in a leadership position for the clan.," said Yourkage.
Yoruichi stared at the boys with disinterest.
She used Shunpō to get to their location and analyzed them. She spontaneously punched the blonde in the gut.
"What was that for?," asked the bespectacled boy.
"You're not tough.," said Yoruichi.
"Ow, owoowowowowowow. That hurt.," the blonde said as he got to his knees.
"Who are you?," asked the girl.
"Kisuke Urahara. The guy over there is Tessai Tsukabishi. I hope we can get along.," said the boy.
"Whatever...," the girl replied.
Present
Yoruichi looked at Xiuhtecuhtli and then at Keiso Tsukabishi.
"Time for your signature Shunpō and maybe that little ace-," Kisuke said before the woman slapped the pill out of his hands.
"I want to finish this quickly. I assume Keiso has a way to shut down any of my Shunpō, Shunkō, or Hakuda techniques. We have no idea what ever is capable of in combat. Especially, since Tessai was actually was fighting a copy and died immediately after that revelation. Which, means...I gotta use something I'd rather not.," Yoruichi said with a seriousness that Kisuke didn't expect.
"It's not as hands-on and aggressive as you'd like. So you're forced to do that?," Kisuke asked.
Yoruichi nodded as Kisuke gulped.
With that Kisuke bolted away, much to the confusion of the Dio Hueco.
"That was a good option. If he were anywhere near this technique. He'd be toast...Just as you guys will be.," she said as Yoruichi drew out her kodachi.
"Curse, Machigai (Mistake).," she declared as her sword became a black folding fan with 40 yellow lines vertically down the center of each fold as she opened the fan. At the end of the fan were long tassels shaped like a cat's tail.
"Now then. You both- huh?," Yoruichi said.
Xiuhtecuhtli was gone.
"I think he's prioritizing your lover over you. He seems quite desperate." Keiso said.
"That name he gave you...was that your true name?," Yoruichi noted.
"Yes and no.," Keiso said.
"What do you mean?," Yoruichi asked.
"People are reborn again and again. I am one who's recalled my past...and the suffering that follows it.," Keiso said.
"Not giving me a straight answer? Fine. My Zanpakuto will force it out of you.," she said as the lines on the fold opened to reveal a cat's eyes.
Keiso blitzed out of the way as the space that he was occupying was covered by a black cat eyes' mark.
"I heard an Espada had a similar ability.," the youth remarked.
"Giving up speed for the power to stop others in their tracks. It's something that goes against the pride of the Fastest.," said Yoruichi.
"Isn't Tenjirō the fast one?," asked Keiso.
"He's a washed out has been. You should've let the 13 Court Guard Squads guard him. They're much more competent. I'm even more competent than they are.," she boasted.
"That's arrogance.," Keiso said before the ground that the eye mark landed on rose up in the form of a humanoid.
"Stop you? No...It's about control. Anything this sees is under my control.," Yoruichi explained.
"What's wrong? Are you going to come after me?," Yoruichi asked.
Yoruichi then used Shunpō as she forced the fan onto Keiso's face, the markings appearing all over his body.
The "Keiso" was revealed to be paper doll as Keiso appeared behind her.
The back of the fan opened its eyes to as markings appeared on the second Keiso.
However, that was also a paper doll as the real Keiso grabbed her arm and ripped it off her body.
She used Shunpō to get some distance as she used healing Kidō to stop the bleeding.
"I should see Orihime about healing this later on. This guy's sneaky.," she remarked.
"Now to-," Keiso said as he suddenly tripped and fell on his back. Purple claw marks appeared on his skin.
"The eyes were just a gimmick. It has that power to control, but that's just of one of its tricks. It's true power is mistake.," she said.
As he tried to get up, he continuously tripped.
She then pulled the tassel as they transfigured into black tachi blades.
"Die-," Yoruichi said before she suddenly tripped.
What the hell?!, Yoruichi thought as Keiso got to his feet.
"I just reversed my Spiritual Power flow and it went back to normal. It's not really a curse. It's sending a disruption of Spiritual Pressure into the enemy body. Without a proper target, it went back to you.," said the youth.
Yoruichi rose her Spiritual Pressure as she said
"Bankai: Hateshinai Fukō (Endless Misfortune)."
She was covered in a torrent of Spiritual Pressure before it dissipated and revealed Yoruichi in a black kimono with a huge fan on her back. Five black cat heads covered in flames covered in purple flames surrounded the tops of the fan.
Yoruichi grabbed the fan and waved it at Keiso.
Thousands of eyes opened on fan as the cat heads bit onto Keiso. The boy was now completely covered in black as dark red blood poured down from his being.
"You were right in it being a disruptor, but in its Bankai state, it can force all misfortune onto a target it sees and bits into as they are cursed to death.,"
Keiso breathed calmly as he said-
"Bring to Nothing. Turn Truth into Myth. Reality into Fiction. History to Folklore. Actuality into Impossibility. Denshika (Dematerialization)."
Keiso then materialized in his right hand, an unusual blade. It had a purple rounded sphere with golden spiral like extensions on the sides and the kanji for "Nothing" in the center. It had a purple handle, a large blade that ended in a rounded edge and loop with tassels- making it a bizarre shakujō like weapon.
When he held it, the blackness faded away.
Yoruichi yelled in shock-
"What the hell did you do?!"
He waved his sword and Yoruichi was gone, nothing except clothes. Her Zanpakuto began to dissipate.
While most would've assumed she was dead, but Keiso had a different idea entirely.
He saw a black cat running away.
I have to tell Kisuke about this-, the cat thought in a more masculine voice.
Keiso was right on top of her to her horror.
"Whenever a Shihōin taps into their Bankai, they become more and more cat like until they cease to be sapient. That is their curse. But, rather than let you say something that would change the outcome...," he said as a purplish giant silhouette appeared behind him.
Yoruichi then thought this before she died-
Yoruichi's Past POV
She had been taken away by one of the rival clans when Kisuke of all people managed to save her life.
From that day onwards, they were close, in fact, they had gotten closer after Yoruichi lost her older siblings and Kisuke his mother after an incident with his clan went wrong.
He would aid her in the 2nd Quincy war and through it, she would become the next Captain after her father was deemed unable to continue his duties due to the curse of the clan.
She would aid Kisuke in saving the Visored, fighting Aizen and preparing Ichigo as a weapon to use agains the Soul Emperor.
In the midst of it all, she had Shōinchi with Kisuke and priorities changed.
It went from avenging her clan to making a world where he wouldn't have to live under Ashiyaku's subtle tyranny.
It was a passing dream to have.
Present
A white silhouette of a cat was all that was left of Yoruichi before she vanished completely. Whatever power Keiso had used, it was enough to defeat her instantly.
The silhouette vanished as Keiso resumed his travel to the palace without any interruptions.
The boy phased into the doors just as Kisuke rushed back to Yoruichi's location, having been chased by Xiuhtecuhtli. Kisuke had already changed his cane sword into his Zanpakuto at this point.
Whatever decoy, gimmick, gizmo, etc. Kisuke used, the Dio Hueco wasn't in the mood. Xiuhtecuhtli instantly burned them, forcing Kisuke to use his Zanpakuto, but his hexagon shield
And he was running of options on top of finding out his lover was killed.
"Fret not, you'll join them soon.," said the Dio Hueco.
Kisuke then glared at the Dio Hueco as he uttered-
"Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame (Opened Red Princess Neo)."
Behind him, appeared a giant woman with dark, braided hair arranged in loops on her head and mannequin-like arms who wore a revealing red robe.
The doll unraveled his body and restructured it to be much stronger than before, but...
Xiuhtecuhtli summoned a green-blue mask with large white upper teeth showing, a half-opened eyed expression and frills on its sides.
One moment Kisuke was raring for a fight, then he was in a crater, having been pummeled and his Bankai torn to shreds. He was already holding the Hōgyoku in his hands. His hat had been unharmed during the apparent scuffle.
What just happen-...The instantaneousness of the actions plus the lack of time it took...he stopped time...it's not like I could anything without prep time...Damnit..., he thought.
The blonde man squirted out blood from his mouth as he spoke-
"When did everything go wrong?"
Xiuhtecuhtli's mask morphed into a white tusked tapir as he said in a overlapped, distorted voice-
"When you took us from home and made us these monsters."
With that, Xiuhtecuhtli fired a fiery sphere onto Kisuke, incinerating him instantly.
However, as he did so, he ignored some Spiritual Pressure samples that Kisuke had somehow collected from Xiuhtecuhtli, heading down into an pocket opened by thread.
Kisuke's Past POV
Kisuke was born to a woman of the Nārākū clan and an oddball of the lower nobility named Misuke Urahara. He possessed a radical idea of reversing the Hollowifcaition process, those allowing those who had been been unfairly changed due to human attachment to become Pluses again. However, these ideas were seen as heresy and Misuke was stripped of his position and assassinated, likely on the orders of the Central 46. His mother soon followed with the rumors of it being that Nārākū clan had killed her for marrying someone of lower birth. The truth was that Misuke's death, Kisuke was sent to live with the Shihōin clan for safe-keeping. When the woman investigated the true reasons for why Misuke died, she too was killed. Kisuke would be trained by Yorukage and later Yoruichi in the art of combat.
This filled Kisuke with a desire to serve the Seireitei, but in a way that benefited advancement, leading to the Research and Development Departments. However, events led to his exile and Kisuke learning that his parents' deaths were connected by Ashiyaku who was also connected with Aizen who had caused the Visored incident.
Kisuke then turned his gaze towards Isshin and Masaki's son, planning to use him as a weapon, knowing that he and his comrades were too limited by their own powers to be of any real help against the true threat.
However, along the way, Shōinchi was born and priorities shifted towards making a world safer for his son.
He had been confused on Misuke's beliefs of changing the status quo until the moment of his death...when he realized.
I prepared thousands of options in hopes of one working. I prepared for anything and everything that shows promise. I took every precaution to not die...yet here I am dying...I get it now...it's you didn't force me to do your work...it's...If we want to witness something nobody has ever seen before, we'll create it ourselves...If we can't create it ourselves, we rely on the next generation...its that you did what you could so I could do something on my own that I personally take pride...so I need to do something so my son can do something he can personally take pride in...
Present-6th Section
Xiuhtecuhtli proceeded to walk away and opened a Garganta.
"The next time we face each other Soul Society...your truths will be revealed and everything you believe in will fall to ruin.," said the Dio Hueco as he vanished.
A few sentinels proceeded to come across the burnt area of Kisuke.
Palace of the Soul Emperor
In a darkened room, two individuals met in a room filled with monitors.
"A Dio Hueco got inside the palace from the looks of it. We need to double our defenses.," Genjō suggested as he prostrated before the orange haired man.
Ashiyaku however showed more concern about an unspecified monitor. He then handed a paper to the black haired man.
"Open a portal there. And have it reopened in the World of the Living.," he said.
"Why-," Genjō asked.
"This is a highly confidential matter that needs discretion. Can I trust you to do it?," asked Genjō.
Genjō nodded reluctantly as he summoned a sword with a key like blade and shoved it into the ground.
1st Section
Rukia appeared with Mayuri and Renji as they saw Ichigo flat on the ground as he looked desolate and hopeless.
"His hair is black...Is this normal?," the scientist asked.
The woman kicked Ichigo and growled-
"What're you doing?! I just sensed Tessai, Mr. Urahara and Ms. Yoruichi's Spiritual Pressures vanish out of thin air. What's going on?!"
Ichigo answered weakly-
"It's that flame-head...he's one of the Dio Hueco guys that the pale sheet ghost guy said at the beginning of the meeting...he killed my dad...so he's killed those three...outside of Shōinchi...I never trusted them...Then again who can I trust...they were using me...my old man...Mr. Urahara...my own power...the guy who calls himself Tengagetsu..."
Renji grabbed Ichigo by the collar and punched him.
"Your father and mentor die and you're worried about trust issues?! Let's storm and kick his ass," Renji shouted.
"I can't see how you can beat a guy like that. Without a sword.," said Ichigo.
Renji was about to punch him again, but saw his eyes had been teared out and his knuckles bleeding from likely beating the ground in fury from earlier.
"You're tired...we can talk about it tomorrow...," Renji said reluctantly yet still peeved about Ichigo's half-heartedness.
"Yeah...," Ichigo said as he leaned Renji's shoulder.
Rukia accompanied them as Mayuri stared at the ground.
After the trio left, Mayuri was about to collect the Spiritual Pressure samples belonging to Ashiyaku, but suddenly they vanished, leaving Mayuri with only the Xiuhtecuhtli samples of Spiritual Pressure.
Something intriguing is definitely happening behind the scenes. And after this war...I intend to find it out as a scientist., thought the 12th Captain.
He then thought on what Rukia meant by Kisuke's disappearance and sighed-
"Kisuke...I thought you were better than this...People we respect...sometimes are done in the most unceremonious and undignified ways..."
Hueco Mundo/Kurosaki Clinic
Ichika and the others saw a sanctioned off sight with the words- Restricted. Personnel only. However, sounds were heard from the structure.
Before anything could be made out, the group fell down and landed somehow in the Kurosaki Clinic.
The Mod-Souls were struggling to put away the pictures of the orange haired people with hair color similar to Ichigo with Kon aiding them. The Masaki poster had already been pinned up.
They looked up as the door like portal vanished above them.
"Oh...Hey guys...," said Kon nervously as he looked on the strange group.
Urahara Shop
Shōinchi arrived as Ururu and Jinta handed him a vial.
"What's this?," he asked.
"It seems to be something that Mr. Urahara wanted you to decipher.," said the black haired woman.
"Isn't Mom, Tessai and Dad back from their meeting?," he asked.
"You're the man of the house.," said the redhead with a sad look on his face.
The boy widened his eyes at the implications and slammed his fist against the wall.
"Guess I gotta train now.," he said with a more grim determination.
As he went into his room, he cried softly into his bed.
Next Chapter: Anastasis of the Dead Gods