What an awkward situation. Not even Tessai, for his tea and all his politeness could get rid of some of the tension. Urahara's grinning and slightly conspiratory face made it only worse.

No less than three shinigami had joined the room. Shinji only really knew one of them; Kyoraku Shunsui, Captain of the Eighth Division. He had to admit it was rather nice to see he was still around. Coincidentally, he was also the only newcomer who looked even remotely friendly. The female captain - Second Squad - was casting dark looks at everyone but Yoruichi and the woman next to Kyoraku looked as if she didn't want to be here. Which probably was the case; she was wearing the emblem of Kyoraku's Division. He probably dragged her along. Strangely enough, she bore a resemblance to Lisa.

"Shinji, we are not here to take you in," Kyoraku said. "Please take that hand off your sword."

With great reluctance he did so. Looking closer, he noted he was the only person armed with their zanpakuto and instantly felt better about the whole ordeal. That also explained why the the two female shinigami were looking at him warily, he guessed.

"Then why are you here? Saying sorry on behalf of Central Forty-Six? That's a bit late, ain't it?"

Kyoraku winced. "Not exactly. I don't think they would if they could… but as it stands, the entire Central is murdered. We were played."

"You've been played for a long time," Shinji scoffed.

He didn't even take much glee in seeing the slightly guilty faces of the shinigami. It wasn't surprising that Aizen had kept his fake mask on for so long; he wasn't entirely sure when he began to suspect Aizen for not being what he seemed. He had been his lieutenant for quite a while, but it had started before that. It just had been such a long time ago; maybe even before Aizen entered his division. Maybe even way back in the academy. He wasn't sure; Aizen had felt off for as long as he could remember. There had been something about him. And much to Shinji's frustration, he had never slipped up.

Aizen didn't get caught; he was sure of that. He openly chose to betray the Gotei Thirteen. It had been deliberate.

"Before we go any further, who are you two? Makes the conversation a little easier an' all."

Again it was Kyoraku who spoke for them. He placed a hand on the shoulder of the woman next to him.

"This is my Nanao-chan, my current lieutenant. I trust her. What we'll discuss tonight won't leave this room."

"Ise Nanao," his lieutenant interrupted, emphasising on her family name.

"Captain Soi Fon," the other woman said brusquely. "Do address me as such. I'm here because Yoruichi asked me." She refused to even look into Urahara's direction.

Shinji's eyebrows shot up. O-kay.

Urahara cleared his throat and waved into the direction of Shinji. "This is - "

"We know," Soi Fon snapped. Then, in a someone calmer voice: "Captain Kyoraku filled us in. Now, we're here to discuss Aizen. Get on with it."

Clearly there was no love lost between Soi Fon - excuse him, Captain Soi Fon and Urahara Kisuke.

"Yes. Aizen Sousuke. One of the reasons why Aizen was able to deceive the entirety of Seireitei and leave without a scratch with two other captains… was due to the fact that it is divided. Especially the Gotei Thirteen. Right, Yoruichi-san?"

"Yes," Yoruichi confirmed. "I've seen captains and lieutenants fighting each other. Ichigo just knocked everyone down. Kyoraku here with a few others actually helped to stop the execution. Eh. It was a mess and Aizen took advantage of it. Or rather, orchestrated it."

"Well, it didn't feel right to let Rukia be executed. But you don't even the half of it," Kyoraku said. "We don't know the half of it, probably. He feigned innocence by faking his own death. Sadly we didn't realise it had been him until the very end."

"It was still not your place to do so!" Soi Fon said.

"With Aizen in mind, do you still think it was right to uphold the law, even if he gave the orders to execute her in the first place?"

"It is still an offence to break it! You should be ashamed."

"Knock it off. We talked about this," Yoruichi said, flicking Soi Fon's hair playfully. Soi Fon did shut up after casting a look in Yoruichi's direction and instead occupied herself with the tea that had been handed out to them.

Shinji scowled. He already lost track of what had been going on there. They weren't telling him everything, that was for sure. Stopping the sokyoku execution? He had never seen it in action, but he knew that was a difficult, if not impossible feat. Even without taking Aizen into account, this story didn't entirely add up. What exactly had happened in the Soul Society? Whatever it was, Yoruichi and her human group had shaken it up quite a bit.

"Seriously? Ya think there was nothing suspicious about it when we essentially got sentenced to death? Banishing Kisuke for the hell of it 'cause he had figured out what Aizen was actually doing? Banishing Tessai for helping?"

"I can see it," Soi Fon said sharply.

"Hush, Soi Fon. Kisuke has saved their lives. He didn't experiment on them."

She glowered at Urahara.

"It's not that I don't regret it, Shinji," Kyoraku said when the room had turned relatively quiet. Tessai refilled their cups and took away those that had grown cold.

"That night - I saw Sousuke. Whether that was real or not, I don't know, but my statement has helped condemn you and the rest. There was a lot of evidence against Urahara Kisuke and we weren't entirely sure how… sane you were that night. I understand you got stabilised, but there was a fair chance you had lost your capabilities to think at all. You could've been a dangerous threat to the Soul Society."

"Yeah, thanks for the compliment," Shinji drawled, unable to completely filter the sarcasm out of his voice.

But much to his annoyance, Kyoraku was right. It was only natural to suspect the actual science department when such experiments were involved. Add to that that Kisuke actually had researched the same subjects and how Aizen had had a man who acted as his doppelganger for four entire weeks… Aizen's alibi had been solid.

He couldn't blame Kyoraku. Not really.

"So, Aizen betrayed you too. Nice to see we're all on the same page. Now what? You here to invite us back or somethin'? 'Cause I'm sure that'll go over well."

He saw Kyoraku glancing at his lieutenant. Hm. Apparently not.

The lieutenant coughed. "We're not here with Captain-Commander's permission and your sentences are not being reconsidered. Instead we are ordered to prepare so we are ready when Aizen moves. The Captain-Commander wants to do it alone."

A slight grin appeared on Shinji's face. "You don't agree."

To his surprise, the lieutenant seemed to be slightly embarrassed at defying Yamamoto's orders, for she reddened enough to be noticeable in the dimlit room.

"I believe we have a better chance if we work together."

"How sweet," he replied. "What makes ya think I'll help?"

"Come now, Shinji," said Kyoraku, soothing it over. "That doesn't sound like the man I used to know."

"A lot can happen in a hundred years."

Kyoraku chuckled. "I don't believe you changed all that much."

Shinji was disgruntled. Not in the least place because his old colleague was right. Again. Their strength would lie in numbers. It had to do with Aizen, after all. That was no one to take on with just the eight of them, not even if you included Yoruichi, Kisuke and Tessai. Gin and Tousen would be easy to handle, but it was Aizen's sword that was the problem.

He narrowed his eyes at Kyoraku. "You've got a plan, don't ya?"

Kyoraku smiled slightly. "We need your cooperation… secretly. No doubt Aizen will be watching us. We need him to think we work against each other, not with."

Shinji crossed his arms. "Working with shinigami? You must be out of your mind."

"That attitude is exactly why he won't expect it," Kisuke said, a little too cheerfully.

He rubbed his neck. "Listen, Kisuke. They're mad enough at you for betraying them. If I bring this plan to the table I'm not sure how they'll take it, but I doubt they'll be happy about it. They won't be willing to help."

"Betrayal?" Kisuke was feigning surprise. "Don't you think that's a little…"

"That's how it felt to them. I've gotta say no. They'll never agree to this."

"Ah, but we will have the best chance if we do work together - "

"I know that, but I'll never get them to see it that way. And I ain't sure for myself either. There's a difference between knowing what you should do and actually - "

"Enough of this!"

Soi Fon had gotten up and was now looking rather fed up. She pointed a finger at Shinji. "You. They're asking you and only you. Yes or no?"

Having to make a decision in the spur of a moment that included working with people he didn't know or trust - it wasn't like a walk in the park. They weren't talking nonsense; of course not. They were deceived, not stupid. If they wanted to have any chance at taking Aizen down, they had to work together. Shinji's group couldn't do it on his own, he was sure of that. And hearing how easy it apparently had been for Aizen to openly defy the entire Gotei Thirteen and leaving with everything he wanted - the Gotei Thirteen wasn't up to this task, either.

But working together? After being tossed aside so easily and hunted for at least the first thirty years they had been on the run? On top of that, none of it had been their fault. Maybe his; but never the others. He could have prevented it all; the could not.

Urgh. He didn't like the idea; but what he felt wasn't important. This was the better option for all of them, even if they were going to be mad about it afterwards.

"I don't want the others to know. You don't involve them, you hear?"

Kisuke grinned widely. "That depends on your skill to keep things a secret, Hirako-san. But I doubt you'll have any difficulty with that."

"I've got just one question for ya," he said. "In what way are we going to work together?"

"As of now? Just sharing information. That's it. No dirty jobs, I promise!"

Shinji twirled the tea in his cup. "Then yes. Count me in. First thing I wanna know about is that human shinigami human kid. How's he even alive?"

Urahara adjusted his hat, failed to look more menacing - if that had been his intention - and tapped a few times on the table. One of these days Shinji was going to tell him off on his stupid theatrics. He was just overplaying it.

"Alright! Gather around, everyone. I've got a nice little story to tell about Kurosaki Ichigo."


The smell of another deliciously made breakfast greeted him even beyond the shut door. Yuzu really had become a great cook. It managed to make him hungry even if he wasn't. He was about to step into the kitchen, but lingered when his daughters starting to talk about him.

"Don't you think dad is acting weird lately?"

"Eh, how so?"

"He's being different somehow."

"Really?! He might be ill!"

"Come on, Yuzu. He's never ill. It's something else."

What? Not for the first time, Karin was questioning his behaviour when she thought he wasn't around. It was odd how she kept doing that; almost as if she knew . It wasn't possible - she wouldn't be able to feel the spiritual power at all. Still, it was as if she had become aware of the change that had come over him.

It was time to teach his daughters he was still his old self. He quietly opened the door, spotted his son at the kitchen table and launched himself into a surprise attack, out to deliver a formidable kick to his chin.

Ichigo dodged. He had become a lot faster since he came back from the Soul Society, he noted, while he ended up in a heap on the floor.

"You've improved, Ichigo!" he said, getting up quickly. He accepted a cup of coffee from Yuzu and took his seat.

His son let out an exasperated sigh. "He's the same old man as always, Karin."

"Ah! Were you worried about me? I have such wonderful daughters who care about - "

"Shut up," said Karin.

Yuzu smiled. "See? He's fine!"

The slightly confused look of Ichigo had not gone unnoticed, however. Nor had Karin's pensive face.


Yoruichi was lifting along on Soi Fons shoulder as the three shinigami returned. Although they were using the official ways of transport they landed safely behind the barracks of the Second Division, unable to be seen by anyone. Yoruichi stretched her legs, jumped and landed on the grass.

"Isn't it risky to use the hell butterflies?" she asked, directing her question to Kyoraku.

"No, no. Soul Society is in a bit of a chaos and Central Forty-Six has not yet been replaced. We won't be found out. Ukitake is covering for us."

"Heh." For a moment she was silent, taking in the familiar surroundings. In a fast-changing world as the World of the Living, it was suddenly strange to see how barely anything had changed in the past hundred years. Strange, but comforting.

"Speaking of Ukitake, I heard he broke into my clan's vault."

Kyoraku gave her a charming smile. "That's not entirely the case. The artefact was unmistakingly from the Shihouin clan, but it was already in Ukitake's possession."

"Strange. I don't remember giving him that shield."

"Well," began Kyoraku, looking a little less relaxed, "I suppose another clan member must have done so."

"Uh-huh."

They left the grounds of the Second Division, leaving Soi Fon behind.

"Say, Yoruichi."

"Hm?"

"Have you come all this way to lecture us about stealing?"

She laughed. "So you admit it? Don't sweat it, it's fine." She briefly looked at Kyoraku's lieutenant, not entirely sure if she could trust her as much as she trusted the two captains. She decided she didn't. "There's something else I have to take care of."

With that she dashed off, reduced to a mere shadow to anyone who wasn't paying great attention. It was quite busy in the streets of Seireitei, but with the mess they had left behind it was expected. The shinigami had started to repair the buildings, but it was nowhere near finished; there was debris everywhere and there were still cracks in the road. She jumped on top of the newly rebuilt support beams to get on top of the roofs.

The Fifth looked fairly deserted when she passed it. The Fourth however was still crowded with people. There had been quite a few casualties, ranging from relatively unharmed to stab wounds in the chest. And some deaths, although there had been rumours the ryoka nor Aizen had done this. Of course Ichigo hadn't; and she couldn't imagine any of the others to be capable to deliberately taking a life.

She rushed past the Twelfth - a lot of people up at this hour, still - and snuck onto the grounds of the Thirteenth. From there she navigated through the streets, avoiding the few shinigami still wandering around.

Seireitei was as easy to leave as it was to invade if you didn't have official permission, but lucky for her, it was also quite in shambles still. Sure, the security had become tighter, but a cat was not as noticeable as say, her face. People would recognise her from hearsay and story alone.

Perhaps it had been smarter to go via Kisuke's senkaimon after all; at least that would've brought her a lot closer to where she needed to be. However, this way she could really check how Seireitei was faring. Sure, they had not killed her on the spot and had let her and the humans walk wherever they wanted - within reason - but there was no doubt about it that the Twelfth Division had monitored their movements wherever they went.

It had seemed Seireitei had picked up the pace quite well while they were there; but as she was looking at it now, it seemed a lot worse. Physically most people were fine. But Lieutenant Ise had told her that quite a few people got hurt nevertheless, especially some of her rank. If, hypothetically, Aizen would chose to attack them this soon, Soul Society wouldn't stand a chance.

She flash stepped past the buildings and grinned when she caught sight of the gate. Luck was with her tonight; the gate was open. The guardian of the gate was having a conversation with the Seventh Company captain from the looks of it and neither of them paid it any mind when she dashed through.

(She could feel the captain's eyes on her body, but there had been no further consequences.)

It was deserted in this Rukongai district as well; apart from it being night, some of the people who were awake were clearly intimidated by the shinigami on the other side of the gate, for they were hovering in the shadows and the safety of their houses.

She went straight to the elder's house.


Shinji had draped himself over the couch, trying to nap in the midst of all the noise. Perhaps it would have been a better idea if he had just gone to bed, but that would only arise suspicion. He groaned at the loud conversation between Rose and Aikawa Love and tried to block it out by putting a pillow on top of his face.

It didn't seem to help all that much.

"Not sure why you even bother hiding it," said Lisa's dry voice, too close for comfort. He looked aside and saw Lisa's face only centimeters away from his own. He turned around to face the couch instead.

"We all know you've been visiting Urahara last night," Lisa continued. She sat down on the armrest, took the pillow and tossed it away.

"So you're just going to have to tell us what he wants."

"Am still thinking." he murmured. Which was the truth, really; he hardly had time to digest all the information, let alone how and what he was going to tell the rest of their group.

He squeaked when he got gripped by his collar and re-acquainted with first Hiyori's freckles on her face, then her shoe.

She scoffed at him.

"What's that? Are ya still thinking? You even sound like him! You're driving me mad."

"Dammit, Hiyori! You're not giving me time!"

By now, Rose and Love had noticed the commotion on the couch and joined as well. Rose leant over.

"Say, what is this about?"

"Shinji has something to tell us," Lisa announced loudly.

He redid his tie and sighed, walking away from the couch. He could really do with a glass of water. Or a nap. He was fairly sure he wasn't going to get the latter, though.

"First of all, I'm gonna wait until the rest is back. But yeah - Lisa's right. I've got something to share." He grinned widely. "Apparently there is someone who could turn a battle with Aizen into our favour, and we're gonna get our hands on him."