Title: When all is said and done

Rating: G

Pairing / Characters: Ichigo, Ishida, Inoue, Kisuke, Yoruichi, Yamamoto, Shunsui, Jyuushirou, Byakuya and Hitsugaya

Word Count: 747 words

Warnings: Nothing, mentions of Project Spearhead

Summary: When all is said and done, Soul Society is responsible

A/N: I don't know the real reasons behind the creation of the Hougyoku, everything you read is a product of my mind, and the way I think things eventually turned out. Feel free to correct me if something's wrong, I'll never know otherwise…

The silence was deafening. Ishida found himself staring stupidly at the place Kurosaki had last been seen, and was no longer before he forced himself to stumble forward.

There was no sign of Ichigo anywhere, and Ishida couldn't sense his reiatsu at all.

'Kurosaki-kun!' a horrified Inoue ran forward, and Ishida caught her arm, holding her back before she fell.

'Inoue –'

'Let me go, please Ishida-kun, let me go –' Inoue's frantic struggled increased, until a slender figure with an oversized zanpakutou ran forward.

'Inoue, calm down!' Ichigo told her urgently, seeing the tears in her eyes.

'Kurosaki-kun!' Inoue sobbed, flinging herself into his arms. 'I thought… I thought…'

Ichigo hugged her. 'I wasn't hurt, Inoue. It's all right…'

'Of course,' Byakuya said suddenly. 'Hollows can mask their reiatsu instinctively – that was why we couldn't sense you.'

'Correct,' Kisuke said simply. 'Kurosaki-san, I take it back. You really are a frightening child.'

Ichigo laughed softly. 'Yeah, I suppose I am.'

Yamamoto sheathed his zanpakutou. 'Would someone tell me what the hell is going on here?'

'…Project Spearhead,' Yoruichi concluded. 'Naturally, he blamed Kisuke for it even though he was innocent.'

Yamamoto sighed. 'I always knew he was, Yoruichi. Project Spearhead was originally commissioned by Room 46.'

Hitsugaya's tone was sharp. 'If it was commissioned by them why was Urahara exiled?'

'The project backfired,' Jyuushirou explained quietly.

'It wasn't Kisuke's fault; no one could have predicted the results. The Hougyoku was intended to aid the integration of souls, when a shinigami died; we realized that something was wrong. The project was called off immediately, all records were sealed, everyone involved had their memories of the project erased, and Kisuke was branded a traitor and exiled. Fortunately, Room 46 wasn't aware of our involvement, or that we knew as much about Kisuke's creation as he himself did. If they had known, we'd have been exiled along with him, but –' Jyuushirou sent Kisuke a faint smile, 'Kisuke took the blame, refusing to divulge our secret. We've carried it for nearly a century, and only today have we discussed it.'

Kisuke sighed. 'I involved the two of you, and you know it. How could I have let you take the fall?'

Ishida was seeing the mysterious store keeper in a new light. A captain, trying to fulfill his duties to his squad, exiled for doing something that wasn't even his fault…

Kisuke shrugged. 'Besides, I've come to prefer it here in the living world. There's so much more to do, so much more to work with. Jinta…Ururu…and of course, Yoruichi… what else can I say?'

Shunsui's eyes were alight with laughter. 'Of course,' he deadpanned. 'How could we forget?'

Yoruichi threw her pillow at him. Hard.

Rubbing his cheek, Shunsui grinned at her. 'I'm joking, Yoruichi.'

'You'd better be,' the Shihouin princess grumbled.

Ishida glanced at her. 'Yoruichi-san…what was your involvement in this? if Urahara-san was exiled, why did you choose to come with him?'

Yoruichi smiled then. 'Kisuke and I go a long way back, Ishida,' she explained. 'We were old friends, and older enemies. I felt Soul Society had been unfair in its treatment of Kisuke, so I abandoned my title and came to the living world. Apart from that, there were other, personal reasons for my leaving. I didn't turn my back on Sereitei, it wasn't my intention.'

'Mah, it's over now, and the truth – ugly though it may be – is out in the open. We can all move on now,' Byakuya commented.

'And speaking of moving on…' slyly, Shunsui reached out and snagged the sake bottle in the middle of the table and poured himself a generous serving.

Yamamoto cleared his throat. 'Ahem… aren't you forgetting something, Shunsui?'

Shunsui glared at him. 'I'm off duty, Yama-jii. Kisuke owes me a drink.'

Kisuke glared at Shunsui, and was about to speak when Yamamoto interrupted.

'That's not what I meant. It's polite to pour for your superior first.'

Shunsui lifted his cup. 'Get your own, old man. I deserve this.'

Yamamoto's jaw dropped, and Kisuke and Jyuushirou exchanged glances before they burst into laughter.

'Never again,' Shunsui promised, draining the cup. 'Never ever again.'

Yamamoto's eyes gleamed. 'Christmas is coming up, Shunsui. I need someone to fill in for me in the living world…'

'Forget it!' Shunsui said so vehemently it brooked no further argument.

Kisuke eyed him speculatively. 'You could always come drinking with me, Shunsui…'

This time, it was Kisuke who got the pillow.