First chapter of the story...Enjoy
This isn't present time yet...it's just detailing some of Naruto and the others lives.
50 years later...
"Naruto! Where are you. Tch! This kid is just too much! Naruto! It's dinner time and Ururu will get mad if you don't show up on time!" Jinta yelled, scouring the place for his elusive ward/brother.
For the past fifty years, they had lived in seclusion from the outside world, only going out to buy supplies. The three of them had no use for gigais. (partially because Kisuke hadn't invented them yet). The people could see them just fine unless they truly wanted to hide themselves. It was all a matter of masking their reiatsus, Naruto included.
The village that was two miles from their home was known as Konohagakure or Konoha for short. In the past fifty years, it had changed as well. Apparently, it was now a shinobi or ninja village. Before, only a couple hundred people had settled it, coming from some land two hundred miles from here. They called themselves the Senju. The humans had found they had this power called chakra, and if they harnessed it correctly, it would be extremely powerful. Not all the humans could use it though, only those who had unlocked their chakra could. In a way, chakra and reiatsu were similar, but reiatsu combines spiritual and physical energy (kind of) while chakra was only physical.
Naruto had never gone into the village, but he had seen some of the ninja from afar. Some had on green flak jackets with a spiral on the back. No matter what outfit they wore though, all the ninja had on a metal plate with a weird engraving attached to a headband wrapped around some part of their body. Naruto thought it was a defining symbol of some sort.
"Ururu! Have you seen Naruto?" Jinta shouted to her.
"Check out back, he might be there!" She yelled back.
Jinta went out to the backyard. It was relatively large, with a decent amount of space for sparring and such. And there, in the left corner, under a Sakura tree sat a small boy who looked no older than seven. His long golden bangs covered his eyes. In his lap was the spirit of a bunny rabbit. Naruto stroked the rabbit's fur as best he could. But it was rather hard when his hand went through the rabbit. However the boy seemed rather content to have the ghost of a rabbit on his lap.
"Naruto! Man, didn't you hear how many times I called you?" Jinta asked the boy in exasperation, walking over to him. He saw the rabbit and inwardly smiled.
Said boy looked up from whatever he was doing. "I did hear you, but I knew you were going to come here anyway so what was the point of leaving before I had to?" His voice was soft, with a hint of playfulness. It was almost identical to Kisuke's.
Jinta sighed. How could he be so lazy and not care? Ah, of course. The answer was because his father was Urahara Kisuke, the laziest Captain in the Gotei Juu-san tai history. "Well anyway, Ururu's got dinner on the table. It's best not to keep her waiting you know?"
Naruto slowly stood up and dusted himself off. The bunny jumped off off of him and disappeared in a flash of particles. Naruto watched the bunny vanish with longing eyes. "Hai, hai. Ururu nee-chan gets very cranky when we're late. Let's go."
Jinta sweatdropped as they walked back into the house. She gets mad when you're late Naruto, not me. But then again I'm always trying to find you and we both end up being late.
The kitchen table was set with beef stew and onigiri. An odd combination, but they enjoyed it.
"Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you to come to the dinner table ON TIME!" Ururu admonished the boy.
Naruto had the decency to scratch his head and look sheepishly at her. "Ah, gomen gomen. But I was just playing with something and lost track of time you know?"
Ururu's gaze softened. She ladled some stew out for everyone. "Well, eat up. You're a growing boy and need nutritional food."
"I'm not really a boy though right? I mean we celebrated my fiftieth birthday last week." Naruto said taking a bite of stew
Ururu and Jinta glanced at each other. "Yes well, compared to us, you're still a little boy." Jinta told him.
"Yeah yeah. I know." Naruto grumbled.
For a while, all was silent as the three ate peacefully.
"Ne, aniki, nee-chan, I've been thinking about some things. We, the three of us, we're not normal, are we? I mean, we can all see ghosts and things that normal humans can't see. Plus, we have the ability to completely hide ourselves from other people. It's like they think we're invisible or something."
The two in question stopped eating, surprised. Then they sighed. They knew that Naruto would ask this question sooner or later.
"You're right Naruto, we're not. Mind telling me when you came up with this theory." Ururu asked the boy.
"About twenty-five years ago or so."
Jinta gaped at him. "Then why didn't you ask us twenty-five years ago?"
"Um...I didn't want to?" Was the boy's reply.
Both of them facepalmed. "Naruto..."
"So, we aren't normal right? Are we human then?" He asked.
Ururu put down the spoon she was eating with. "Naruto...we should have had this conversation with you a very long time ago. You see, Jinta and I, we are what humans call Shinigami. So no, we most certainly are not human. But for our race, we are normal"
Naruto put on his thinking face. He really wasn't surprised that they weren't human. He had seen them do things that no human should be able to do, like walk in mid-air. It freaked him out at first, but it was damn cool. "Shinigami...soul reapers? So your race of people collect the souls of the dead?"
"Exactly. About fifty two or fifty three years ago, we came down to earth from a place called Seireitei because of some odd circumstances. You could say that we were running away from a sure death. You see, we did something that might have pissed off a couple people...so we had to hide in the human world." Jinta said.
"What exactly did you do?" Naruto asked curiously. Jinta and Ururu laughed nervously. "We'll tell you when you're older." They replied.
Naruto nodded and let the issue go. His blue-gray eyes narrowed as he thought a bit more.
"So what exactly am I then?" He finally inquired.
Ururu gazed fondly at the boy she had taken in as her brother. "You, are also a shinigami."
Naruto's head shot up and his eyes widened. "Really? I mean are you sure?" He asked wildly.
Jinta smiled at him. "Oh yes, you definitely are a shinigami. You remember me telling you when you were younger about reiatsu...well it's what all shinigamis and some non shinigamis have. Reiatsu is the spiritual energy that circulates through our bodies. It's why you and I and Ururu can all see ghosts. We have strong reiatsus. In fact, your reiatsu might be stronger than ours." Now Jinta knew that Naruto's reiatsu was huge...but he didn't want to inflate the boy's ego...though said boy had absolutely none. It was mainly because his own pride would come crashing down because of a boy 250 years younger than him.
"Wait, so that means that my parents...whoever they are...they were also shinigami because I was born as one?"
Jinta ruffled his hair. "They are shinigami...some of the best in fact."
"Are...you said that they are shinigami...that means that they aren't dead. So...where are they?" Naruto asked. His excitement with this topic was growing exponentially.
Jinta cursed at the slip of his tongue. How could he explain it to the kid. Yoruichi Taichou had explicitly said not to tell Naruto who his parents were yet. He had to find it out on his own. Luckily, Ururu came to his rescue.
Unfortunately, she knew that whatever she said would upset the boy.
"Naruto...fifty years ago, your mother came to us asking if we could take you in. Of course we agreed." She started tentatively.
The boy's face fell. You could almost feel the reiatsu building up in him. The Shihoin medallion around his neck seemed to glow.
Naruto's bangs covered his face. "Why? Why then...did she not want me...why did she leave me in the human world then?" He asked in a small voice. His voice was quivering, and he was on the verge of tears.
"NO! She wanted you so badly! It's just, she couldn't take you as her own!" Ururu yelled.
"But why!" Naruto shouted back. "What happened!" The vase on the table broke.
Jinta and Ururu stared at it in shock. His reiatsu was bursting out of him in small spurts. They had to calm him down.
"Naruto...your mother forbid us from telling you her identity, but you should know this much about her. She is a very important person in Seireitei, you can say that she's nobility. Any child of hers would be put through things that she didn't want you to go through. We're not just saying that because we want you to feel better. It's the absolute truth. If you had lived with her, you would have gone through so much pain, and she didn't want that to happen. She told us that when the time is right, she will claim you as her own. Now most likely that means in the future you will have to travel to Seireitei and find her. The medallion around your neck is her gift to you. We saw her place it there." Ururu said quietly.
Tears ran down the boy's face. He had parents...somewhere. They weren't even from this world. They weren't even human for Kami's sake! Fifty years...for fifty years he had been lied to. He took out the golden pendant with the weird symbol. He had had it as long as he could remember back to. So many thoughts were racing through the kid's head. His mother had wanted him...so what about his dad?
"And my father...what of him?" Naruto asked in a subdued voice. He hadn't calmed down yet, but his reiatsu had.
"Your dad, didn't even know that you existed Naruto. He probably still doesn't know." Jinta said softly.
"What! So my mother never even told him that she was pregnant? But...that doesn't make any sense!" Naruto cried.
"I know, and we all tried to tell her to tell your dad. But she's...stubborn, and refused to do so. She really loves your dad, but is just too scared to say anything." Ururu said. Her heart went out to the boy. It was hard to take this all in, and she couldn't blame him for being frustrated.
There was a long silence. Naruto dried his tears and went back to eating his soup. Jinta and Ururu shot each other nervous glances.
Finally Naruto asked, "My parents, can you give me a hint as to who they are? And can you also explain this Seireitei to me?"
Jinta placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Of course we can. Now while your mother might have told you not to tell you her and your dad's names, we can tell you some things about them. Your father was once your mother's subordinate. I'll explain that later. But he was and still is ridiculously powerful, and ridiculously lazy too." Jinta added as an afterthought.
Naruto grinned. So he had at least taken after his mysterious father in one way. Well, actually both, but he didn't know that yet.
"Your father is considered the smartest man to come out of Seireitei. He's the head of the Resea..." Jinta was cut off by Ururu smacking him on the head.
"OW! What was that for!" He winced at the growing bump on his head.
"That's too much information. With a little digging, Naruto could figure it out easily." Ururu retorted.
"What's wrong with him figuring it out? I mean all Taichou told us was not to tell him their names, nothing more nothing less."
"But still, for now that's enough about Him."
"Fine...fine..." Jinta conceded.
"And my mother?" Naruto pressed on. He was very intrigued by the father he never had. A genius, ridiculously strong, and the head of something...
"Ah well...your mother...is more or less the same. She's...help me out here Ururu." Jinta said.
"Your mother is like we said, of nobility. Actually, your father is too, but not like your mom..." All Ururu could think of was her Taichou's feline form. "Um...she's cat-like?"
Naruto looked at Ururu like she was insane. "Really? Cat-like is the best you can come up with nee-chan? Well, I suppose that explains the whisker marks on my cheeks then."
Ururu scowled at him. "Well, she's also really strong...too strong...perhaps stronger than your dad..oh, and her temper...it's terrible. Her speed is what defines her...other than that, if we told you anything else it would give it away."
Naruto sweatdropped at her explanation. Oh joy...his parents were exact opposites. How had they made him?
"How can it give it away when I don't know anything about this Seireitei place?" Naruto muttered under his breath. He pictured his mom and dad. In his mind, his mom was this giant muscled cat thing that would lash out at you with your claws whenever she got mad. His dad was contradicting because they said that he was a genius, lazy, and incredibly strong. So Naruto didn't know whether to picture him with tons of muscles or picture him as a ratty little guy who wore grandmother glasses.
"The final pieces of information that we can give you is that both of your parents are Captains. This narrows it down considerably. Your mom was our captain in fact." Jinta concluded. Ururu rubbed her temples. That was the one piece of information she didn't want Naruto to know. The kid was a genius just like his parents. He'd figure it out.
Naruto processed all the information he had just received through his head. So his parents were captains...whatever that meant. Interesting. Now to learn more about the place where he was born.
"So Seireitei, is it heaven or something?"
"Well no. Seireitei is in the middle of Soul Society. I guess that Soul Society can be considered 'Heaven' or 'Nirvana' of you will. It's where all departed souls go to. Seireitei is called the Court of Pure Souls for a reason. Only Nobility or shinigami live there. The new souls arrive in what we call Rukongai. It's divided into 320 districts, with eighty in each direction. They are numbered based on how far they are from the center-which is Seireitei. So District one would be the best and District eighty could be the slums. Now in Rukongai, you can't get hungry. You can die though, and if you die, then you get reincarnated as a human soul with no previous memories. People who die are rarely reunited with their families so they form new ones. You can even have kids there!" Jinta elaborated.
"Ah, I see now. It sounds terrible there. But that's besides the point. So before, you said both my parents are captains, what exactly did you mean by that Aniki?"
Jinta thought for a moment. "Well, before I explain that to you, you should probably understand the breakdown of Soul Society. Soul Society is ruled by a king, who is known as the Spirit King. No shinigami has ever seen the Spirit King though. He lives in the Royal Palace and is protected by the Royal Guard which only the captains know about. (we found out because we eavesdropped on Taichou once) The Royal Guard is comprised nearly of all ex-captains. They are known as Division Zero. Next we have the Noble Houses. There are four. Your mother is part of one of those four. The lesser Noble clans serve the four. After them comes the Zero Division again. Only the Royal House presides over them. After them comes Central 46. They serve the Shinigami Royalty. It's made up of 40 wise men and 6 judges. They have a set of laws that the shinigami must follow, or they will give out the proper punishment-which is generally death or exile. No ruling of theirs can be overturned. But, they have no say in what the Royal Guard does." He paused for a moment, letting Naruto take it all in.
"So after those people, then the Shinigami come in?" Naruto inquired.
"Yes. They make up the military portion of Soul Society. It is divided into three independent main branches. They are: The Kido Corps, Gotei Juu-san tai, and the Onmitsukido. The Gotei 13-or the Thirteen Imperial Guards are the captains we were talking about before. They are in charge of different things. For example: The Fourth Division is in charge of the medical care in Seireitei. The Ninth Division is in charge of newspaper related things. The Gotei 13 probably has the most superiority over the other two branches. Not much is known about the other two branches. I can tell you that Tsukabishi Tessai is the Grand Kido Master of Seireitei. They obviously excel in Kido. You remember what Kido is right?" Ururu asked him after her explanation ended.
Kido...kido..."Yes, it's that stuff that you guys do right. Those spell thingys. With the...Hado and...um...Bakudo?" Naruto recalled.
"Yup. The Way of Destruction and the Way of Binding. We'll get you started on those soon." Jinta said enthusiastically with a bit of sadism thrown in for good measure. When you had both Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi as your commanding officers, it was hard not to be a bit sadistic.
Naruto shivered. Ururu didn't seem to notice. She continued on. "The Onmitsukido is the last division. They are known as the Stealth Force or Covert Ops. They are generally commanded by the Noble Family of Shihoin. Remember that."
Naruto put his head down again-it was his thinking pose. Ururu and Jinta shot each other meaningful glances. After all, the boy in front of them would most likely be the next commander of the Onmitsukido. Yoruichi Taichou would kill them if he wasn't trained properly.
"Besides collecting souls, the shinigami do other things too right? I mean they are the military unit after all."
"Yes. They also protect the human world from monsters that are known as Hollows. Hollows are human souls that have not crossed over to Soul Society yet, and they've stayed in the Human World for too long. If a soul is not given a Soul Burial by a shinigami, then they can also become a Hollow. They are corrupt spirits with supernatural powers that devour the souls of both living and deceased Humans. Shinigami fight them from killing innocents. But sometimes, if the hollow is strong enough, it can even kill a shinigami. You'll probably see a Hollow sometime in your life. We've shielded you from the ones that try to come this way." Jinta said as he recalled the fifteen hollows that had come their way over the past 50 years.
Naruto's brain was working overtime. This was too much to take in for him, he was only fifty after all.
"There's more to these...shinigami isn't there? I mean they can't all just fight with Bakudo and Hado. They would be slaughtered." Naruto thought out loud.
Jinta grinned. Oh yes, he had most definitely taken after his father. "Oh, and what makes you say that?" He asked innocently.
Naruto looked directly at Jinta. His eyes danced in the dim light overhead and seemed to flash golden for a second. "Well, from what I remember, Hado and Bakudo take a while to master fully. From what I've seen you do, it seems like most of them need incantations to cast. Now these incantations can be really long. What if a hollow got to you when you're saying an incantation? I mean, you might die. I'm pretty sure that hand to hand combat won't work too well against those things. So shinigami must have something...something to direct their powers through, like a wand or something."
If the two of them were surprised by their brother's thought process, they didn't show it.
"Close, but not quite." Ururu told the boy. "Yes, we shinigami do use devices to harness our power through. You can say that those devices are our souls, or our spiritual power incarnate. They are called Zanpakutos. We know our Zanpakuto spirits like they are our selves. To train with them, we use a method called Jinzen to fully get to know them."
Naruto was a bit befuddled. "You make it seem as though they are alive."
"Because they are." Jinta told him.
Naruto's eyes were wide open. "How is that possible though?"
Jinta chuckled. "Naruto, your Zanpakuto is a part of you, you are alive right? Then why isn't your sword?"
Naruto saw the logic behind this. It was still hard to believe though. "So when you and your zanpakuto fight, it's like your partners?"
"Precisely. Naruto, would you like to see a Zanpakuto?" Ururu asked him.
"Seriously...I mean is..would it be alright?" He asked eagerly.
Ururu smiled at his enthusiasm. "Of course it's alright. Just give me a moment." She closed her eyes in concentration. Her and Jinta had asked Yoruichi to cast a spell to keep their swords locked up so as to not cause suspicion. Releasing the spell meant releasing a lot of reiatsu.
Naruto watched fascinated as Ururu reiatsu spiraled around her. Her normal clothes were changing into some kind of black robe. At her hip, a sheath formed along with a sword.
Ururu watched Naruto's face with amusement. "This Naruto, is my true form. When I am in this form, only those with a high amount of reiatsu can see me.
"Wow! That's amazing. So this is what a shinigami looks like." He examined Ururu from every angle.
"Ururu, take out your Zanpakuto now." Jinta told her.
"Hai." Slowly, she drew a blade from the sheath. It looked like a normal Katana. The blade was about three feet long and a gray/black color. The hilt was crimson. There was nothing special about it.
Ururu saw Naruto's dissapointed expression. "Naruto, a zanpakuto has three forms. Its neutral state, its shikai state, and finally its bankai state. This is my sword's neutral state. Now, i've only achieved shikai. To achieve bankai, it takes tremendous talent and time. All captain's have to have a shikai and bankai. A sword is usually in its neutral form. There are a couple exceptions such as Kurosaki Ichigo and Zaraki Kenpachi. Ichigo-san's zanpakuto is always in it's shikai form. He is a vice-captain. Kenpachi-san is a whole different story. He has no bankai or shikai. He hasn't even learned his sword's name yet. Kenpachi-san is the captain of the 11th division. The reason why he is a captain is because he has immense powers. His sword is always in its final form."
She saw comprehension dawn on Naruto's face. "So, can you show me your shikai state?" He asked.
"Sure, why not. Now watch carefully. Each zanpakuto awakens into its shikai state differently."
Naruto's eyes were glued onto the sword.
"Kagayaku, Mikazuki" (Shine, Crescent Moon) The blade shimmered, and the area surrounding it vibrated. Naruto watched in fascination as the blade changed into it's namesake. The hilt changed the same, but the blade curved inward to create a hook like shape. The tip glinted in the moonlight. It was beautiful
"So, what do you think?"
"SUGOI nee-san! That's amazing!" Naruto yelled. He tried to touch the blade, but it snapped away from him.
"Why'd it do that?"
"Not 'it' Naruto, she. My blade is a she. And she doesn't like being touched by anyone but me. We weren't lying when we said that Zanpakutos had a mind of their own. The efficiency to use the blade depends on the connection between the wielder and the sword. The more in sync you are with each other, the more power the blade exerts. So remember, never insult your Zanpakuto, other wise he/she won't be there when you need them to be." Ururu told him.
Naruto looked abashed and mentally tucked that information into the back of his mind. "So, when can I get mine?"
Ururu and Jinta burst into laughter. "When the time is right Naruto, when the time is right."
Naruto pouted and crossed his arms. "Fine!" He huffed. At that moment he looked so childlike. After a few moments, he also burst into laughter. It felt nice. Naruto was usually a boy who kept his emotions to himself. No one really ever knew what he was thinking because he was so guarded.
His laughter stopped abruptly. "Nee-san, nii-san," He began seriously. They looked at him expectantly. "Whoever my parents are, I promise, one day I will find them, and then the five of us will live together as a family. I'm going to make them proud of me and become a shinigami. One day, we will all fight together." His eyes took on a hard edge of determination.
The two older shinigami stared at the boy in front of them. "Naruto...the five of us...?" Jinta trailed off.
"Well yeah. I mean I've known since day one that you're not my real brother and sister. Our hair coloring is all wrong for one thing. But no matter what's happened in the past fifty years, you've always been there for me like a real brother and sister. SO as far as I'm concerned, you are family. The both of you were trusted enough by my mother that she left me with you. You said that she was your captain, and at one point, my dad was my mom's subordinate. That means that you're acquainted with him too. So I know that a time will come where we will all live together...as a family." He said resolutely. His eyes glinted that weird mix between gray and golden again.
Jinta and Ururu were speechless. What else would they be? Ururu stood up and moved towards Naruto. She embraced him with all of the emotion she could muster. "Naruto...thank you. That's all I can say." She had tears in her eyes.
Naruto grinned sheepishly and petted her head awkwardly. "Hey, family sticks together after all."
Jinta, who had just stood there grabbed both Ururu and Naruto in a bear hug and twirled them around.
If anyone would have seen them right now, they would have said that this was a true family.
Soul Society: The same time
"It's been fifty years, Yoruichi...you still haven't told him yet." Retsu scolded her friend.
The three of them, Yoruichi, Kukaku and Retsu were in the Shihoin complex late on Saturday evening, enjoying their lazy time.
"I know Retsu...I...I just don't know how to approach him on this subject at all. I mean, you try explaining to your best friend that the one night you had together fifty-one years ago produced a child that I had to give up just so he would be protected from those in Soul Society." Yoruichi growled at her.
"This wouldn't have happened if you had just told him right there and then Yoru...and you know this!" Kukaku shouted at her long time friend. "You can't keep this a secret much longer. You have a SON in the real world...an heir to your clan!"
"AND THAT'S THE EXACT REASON WHY I HAVE TO KEEP IT A SECRET DAMN IT!" Yoruichi's temper got the better of her. She stood up, knocking over a cup of sake, not that she noticed. "Tell me, what would they do if they found out that I had an illegitimate son?" She asked, her voice softer now.
Kukaku and Retsu thought for a moment. "They would use my own son against me. They would make him do things-send him out on suicide missions, saying that I would be in danger if he didn't." Yoruichi said in a whisper when the other two couldn't think of anything.
Her friends' eyes widened. "They...wouldn't..." Retsu started, but Kukaku cut her off.
"'The blood of the Shihoin would be tainted with the blood of those of lesser nobility', they would say." Youruichi stated with a mirthless laugh. "My own son...and Kisuke's."
"But those bastards are dead...the elders that is." Kukaku argued.
"Not the important ones though." Yoruichi retorted. "They still make my life hell today...telling me to marry a Kuchiki or someone like that. Hell, did you know that they had almost arranged my marriage to Kaien?"
Kukaku choked on the oolong tea she was sipping. Then she burst into hysterical laughter. "Oh! That would have been great! Having you as my sister in-law!" She then put on a serious thinking face. "But then again...you and him would have made a terrible match. He's too much like you...Nope, you two are the brother-sister type." She concluded.
Yoruichi gave her a funny look. "Yeah, and that's why I refused the marriage." Her tone softened again. "There will only be one person for me in the world...and that's Kisuke."
Retsu smirked, and it looked very out of place on her neutral face. "Then tell him that. Listen, it's fine if you keep Naruto a secret from Soul Society, but don't keep it a secret from Kisuke. No matter what problems you'll eventually face in the future, tell him everything. Starting with Naruto. He's powerful, more powerful than you give him credit for. He can easily overcome whatever is thrown his way. If you love him...then have that much faith in him."
Retsu watched as her friend was silent for several minutes. The emotions that were so well hidden from the outside world were spread all over her face right now. She knew that Yoruichi was having an internal battle with herself. Should she or shouldn't she? That was the question.
After much contemplation, Yoruichi gave her friend her typical half grin. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad telling Kisuke. He deserved to know about their son more than any other person in this world.
And then there was Naruto...her son.
For the past fifty years, she had observed the boy as carefully as she could. She would visit when she was sure that he was not awake and just sit there talking with Jinta and Ururu. Just last week, she had discretely gone down to the human world and given her boy a big kiss on the forehead while he was sleeping. He was handsome, and looked almost exactly like Kisuke. Even if Kisuke didn't know he had a son, the second he laid eyes on Naruto he would know who the boy was to him...and who the mother was too. It was now or never. Kisuke would be told. No exceptions.
"Yosh! I've decided. Tonight, I will tell him everything. No matter what the consequences are, he has to know. I don't care if he doesn't love me, or if he's lost all faith in me. It just has to be done!" Yoruichi exclaimed.
Both the other occupants in the room chuckled. Well, it had only taken her fifty years to get this far. Now the next step would be reunite the happy family. But, judging by the way things went until this point, it would probably take another fifty years till that happened.
Kukaku put down her tea and stood up. "Well then Yoru, I sincerely wish you the best of luck."
Yoruichi smiled when Kukaku put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Retsu also gently patted Yoruichi's hand, and then exited the room.
"Yoru." Kukaku said.
"Nani?"
"Just a word of caution. Kisuke is one to never let true emotion play out on his face, but this one time, he might. All I want you to do...is let him vent...because trust me...he will. He's family Yoru,...and so are you. So please, be honest with him." Kukaku sighed and ran a hand through her raven hair.
Yoruichi studied her for some time before finally saying, "I know. I don't want to hurt him anymore than I already have. I promise."
"That's all I wanted to know." With a last glance at Yoruichi, Kukaku left the room, leaving Yoruichi all alone.
When she felt Kukaku's reiatsu completely vanish from her complex, she flopped down on her bed, seemingly exhausted. How would she actually break the news to him?
Seduce him and then tell him? Look where that got her last time...
"Kisuke, when we had that one night 51 years ago, I had a son...and he's yours..." That was most likely the corniest thing she had heard in her entire life.
"Kisuke...we have a son who I had to send to the human world to live with two of our former supposedly dead subordinates." Yes, that might work.
Ah fuck it. She would improvise, it was what she did best after all.
With that mentality in mind, she got up off of her bed and stomped out the door to find the father of her child.
Urahara Kisuke was not having a good day. He had been bombarded with paperwork from his Vice-Captain Hiyori. If it was one thing he hated in his life, it was paperwork. It didn't help that Mayuri had intentionally blown up two of his research labs in the past week simply because he was bored. Maybe he should have kept the man (was he even a man?) locked up.
Now seeing how he was so down, two of his good friends Kyoraku Shinsui and Ukitake Juushiro had taken him out to enjoy a nice evening in the best bar in Soul Society. Indeed, the White Lotus had been serving customers since its conception about seven hundred years ago. In fact, it was Yamamoto himself who had recommended the bar to them. The White Lotus was located in the third district of Rukongai, but that didn't deter captains like Byakuya or Yoruichi, both of whom were from Noble clans from frequenting it.
"Oi Kisuke! C'mon man! Live a little...look alive!" Shinsui said in his easy going voice that was slightly slurred now.
Ukitake clapped him on the back. "You only had two cups of sake? Kisuke, everyone knows that out of all the captains, it's you who can hold liquor down the best. Here, have some more!" He exclaimed pouring himself and Kisuke a cup more.
Kisuke sighed. Why had he let them talk him into this? He really didn't understand himself. This wasn't really making him feel any better.
The bartender(who was new) looked at the man in pity. He looked like he needed some fun. "Hey, Taichou-san. There are some really nice people out back that you might want to meet, you know...it's all to have fun." The teasing tone in the bartender's voice did not go unnoticed by Kisuke. Huh, so even respectable bars like this one had that side to them.
"No thanks sir. I've got a pretty nice person waiting back for me at home." Kisuke replied in a playful voice.
"Suit yourself sir." The bartender said, moving to the next customers.
"Kiisuukee, you should have taken that nice offer. Just let it all out sometimes!" Shinsui boomed. Where was Nanao-chan when you needed her?
Ukitake had some more common sense. "Now now Shinsui, Kisuke isn't that type of man. He's more of the one-woman kind of person...right?"
Said man's face heated up a bit, not that you could tell though. Of course he was a one woman man. It's just that the woman had to become his first.
Shinsui scoffed. "Juushiro...for Kisuke to be a one woman man he would have had to have been with a woman first!"
"I'm sure he has Shinsui. We don't tell anyone about our personal lives you know." Ukitake reasoned.
This was getting a bit uncomfortable. Kisuke was sandwiched between two semi drunk/drunk men who were still discussing his sex life in the middle of a prominent bar where tons of people came. They were highly respected captains, these three, and unnecessary rumors were not in their best interest. Kisuke would have to stop their nonsense, and fast. Thankfully, luck seemed to be on his side just for one minute.
"Ah Kisuke, so this is where you were. I've been looking for you." A voice directly behind them said.
Praise the lords. Kisuke thought.
The other two captains swiveled around to see the captain of the second division standing with her hands crossed under her ample chest, staring at them intently. Her purple hair contrasted drastically with the simple white dress she was wearing.
"Yoruichi-san, what a pleasant surprise!" Kisuke smiled. She looked breathtaking, according to him.
She smirked at him. "Cut the formalities Kisuke, you know I hate them. Come with me, there's something important that I need to talk to you about."
He sighed. "Well, there's no use in arguing with you now, so shall we?"
She shot a devastating grin at him that caused his face to heat up more.
Kisuke stood up and held out his arm for her. She linked it with his and they set off.
He couldn't help but notice how all the male, and some female eyes never left Yoruichi's figure. Kisuke felt a pang of jealousy run through him. He couldn't stop those glances...or the cat calls. After all, he wasn't anything more to her than her best friend. He had no claim over her.
The bartender whistled. "He wasn't lying when he said he had a pretty nice person waiting for him at home. In fact, that's a damn fine person...well her backside that is...!"
"That...is the captain for the second division." Juushiro deadpanned. The bartender paled. IF one thing was known about Shihoin Yoruichi, it was that she would annihilate anyone who said one comment about her figure.
"Ne, Shinsui...you don't thing that Kisuke and Yoruichi...?"
"I don't know, Juushiro...they've been together for so long that it's certainly possible. There's a reason that Kisuke is so secretive, and this might be it."
Yoruichi led Kisuke back to their complex.
They sat together in Kisuke's room.
"Okay Yoruichi, what did you want to talk to me about?" Kisuke asked as he made himself comfortable on the sofa.
Said woman fidgeted on the sofa slightly. How was she going to tell him again? Ah yes, improvise. Well that didn't really seem to be working very well. Apprehension filled her gut. This wasn't exactly something that one discusses in a friendly conversation.
"Kisuke...I have something very important to tell you. After this, you most likely will be extremely upset with me, but please do not judge me too harshly."
Kisuke's mind raced. What could she have done to make him, the man who practically worshiped her, judge her?
She took a couple deep steadying breaths and looked at his face. Well that certainly didn't help. His expression was that of concern, for her. Just looking at his face was enough to send butterflies to her stomach.
Abruptly, she stood up and started pacing around the large room. Sitting next to him was going to be a problem. "Kisuke..."
He looked at her expectantly.
"Do you remember what happened fifty-one years ago?" She asked hesitantly.
His face fell. So that's what she wanted to talk about. But why? Why fifty-one years after the deed had been done was she confronting him about it? It wasn't like she had been taken advantage of or something. Slowly, he gave a nod of confirmation
She saw those damn bangs of his covering his stormy eyes. Her heart clenched. Of course he remembered what had happened. They were both active participants. She knew all too well that he thought she was going to tell him how much she regretted that night.
"Kisuke, look at me please. If you think that I called you here to tell you how much of a mistake that night was, then you are sorely mistaken." Yoruichi waited for a reaction from him.
His head was still down, but his shoulders visibly lifted a couple inches or so. She let out a sigh of relief.
"You were the first man I was ever with Kisuke, you still are the only man I've ever been with. To me, that's special."
Kisuke's heart nearly lept out of his chest. Storm met sunlight. The look in her eyes confirmed she wasn't lying.
"Yoruichi...I..."
"Wait Kisuke, let me finish." She cut him off. It was now or never...that do or die moment. "I became pregnant." Yoruichi finished.
Kisuke choked on his own spit. Out of all the things that his mind had conjured, that was definitely not one of them. "Pregnant! With m..m..my child?" He spluttered.
"Hai." Was her short reply. She would wait for him to ask about what had happened to his child.
Kisuke's world was in turmoil. So many emotions were running through him at lightning speed. He didn't know what to think. Yoruichi had gotten pregnant...with his child! It was unbelievable. But then...the child...
He was silent for a very long time. This was huge news. No, this was beyond huge news. Finally he spoke. "So you were pregnant, eh? And the child...?"
His unasked question was all too clear to Yoruichi. Where is the kid now?
This was the hardest part. "This is where I ask you not to judge me." Yoruichi murmered loud enough for him to hear.
His eyes widened. She hadn't...had she?
"I...I had to give him up. Not abort him, if that's what your thinking. I had to abandon him." Her voice cracked as a solitary tear sled down her tanned cheek.
Kisuke face contorted. His reiatsu flared around him in giant whirlpools. It wasn't enough to alert anyone, but it was enough to crack some of the mirrors in his room. Yoruichi knew better than to try to snap him out of it. Kukaku had said that he would vent his feelings, and this was part of his venting.
His head was in his hand's now. Turmoil wasn't the word to describe his emotions. A much stronger word was needed. So many feelings were welling up inside of him. Even though he was a genius, he wondered if it was possible to be feeling rage and overwhelming joy at the same time. He needed, no he deserved to know about his son. What was his name? What was he like? Was he safe? Did he live nicely? Was he loved? All of those questions and no answers as of yet. And then there came the matter of Yoruichi. For fifty god-damning years she had kept their son a secret from him. He loved her so much, perhaps more than she deserved.
Tears formed in his eyes. A shard of glass went flying past his face and embedded itself into the wall behind him. But Kisuke didn't notice. Hell, a meteor could have hit Soul Society and he wouldn't have noticed.
"His name...tell me his name." He finally croaked out, lifting his face up to hers.
Yoruichi felt like crying when she saw his angst-ridden face. But she had to be strong here.
"Naruto...his name is Naruto."
Kisuke's pained face took on an incredulous expression. "Fishcake? You named our son fishcake?" What kind of a name was that?
"No! His name does not mean fishcake. His eyes, they're exactly like yours-that weird mix between gray and blue. The second I looked into his eyes, it was like I was looking at a storm. And at that moment I knew. That child would be the Maelstrom that would change the world." She replied heatedly. She marveled at how right it had sounded when Kisuke had said our son. It was meant to be.
Kisuke allowed his eyes to soften and a wry grin spread on his face. At least he knew that Yoruichi had loved their son before she gave him up. But that didn't excuse the fact that she had kept possibly the biggest detail of their lives hidden from him for fifty years. Even if they lived for an insane amount of time, it was too long for him. He needed answers now.
Yoruichi watched as his eyes hardened and his body tensed.
He abruptly stood up and walked towards her slowly, carelessly glancing at the cracked mirrors.
He was now so close to her that she felt his hot breath on her face. But still she stood her ground, not letting his imposing figure frighten her. She refused to meet his gaze, for if she did Yoruichi was certain all of her guards would fall, just as they had fifty-one years ago.
Kisuke stared at the woman impassively. Roughly, he grabbed her shoulders and shook her until finally, her eyes met his once again.
"You will tell me everything, starting with where he is right now and if he's safe." He hissed harshly.
He saw her swallow and took some grim satisfaction from the fact that it was now him who was making her nervous, and not the other way around. Kisuke had never been harsh with her, and it was very different for her.
She sighed. Truthfully, she had expected for Kisuke to slap her or something. It was what she deserved, and worse.
"I promise. From now on, I won't tell you anymore lies."
He snorted. "Like I'll really believe that. You told me that three hundred years ago as well. Look how well that worked out."
"Do you want me to tell you about Naruto or not?" She retorted. A blush had rose up in her cheeks. She couldn't deny the truth in Kisuke's words.
He made his way back to his bed and flopped down on it. He sat up and patted the ample space next to me.
She looked at him, surprised.
"It's you. I can never stay mad at you for long. You should know that. We're connected now, in more ways than one. Having a child together is the ultimate act. So just come here and tell me about him." He responded.
After some afterthought, she made her way to the bed and sat next to him. "Well, you should know that I gave him to Ururu and Jinta..."
An hour or so had passed and Kisuke learned everything there was to know about the boy named Naruto. Apparently, he was almost exactly like Kisuke down to his looks. Naruto was a very skilled and smart boy. So that meant that he had inherited the Urahara genes in the intellectual department. He had these whisker marks on his cheeks that instantly defined him. At first, he was incredibly surprised to find out that Jinta and Ururu were still alive. But then she explained to him about what had happened to them and why they were in the human world. According to Yoruichi, Naruto knew about reiatsu and other aspects of his existence, but he hadn't truly understood his own being yet. Jinta had promised that the second Naruto knew about everything, he would be trained properly.
All that mattered to Kisuke was that Naruto was completely taken care of. Yoruichi had explained to him on why she couldn't claim Naruto. Kisuke understood the severity behind this and hadn't asked her too much about it. But soon, there would come a time where Naruto would come back to Soul Society and problems would surely arise. They had to be completely ready for that day.
The two of them had settled their differences by now. It was really only Kisuke doing the settling though. He was really only mad at her because she had waited fifty years to tell him about this. They were laying down side by side in his bed.
"Yoruichi..." Kisuke murmured sleepily. It was late after all.
"Nani, Kisuke?" She asked, turning over to face him.
"Where does this leave us?" His tone was prodding and curious.
His sudden question startled her. She propped herself up on her elbow to take a good look at his face. His infamous bangs covered his eyes like they did very so often.
"What do you mean by that? We're still us." She replied.
He too adjusted himself to look at her. "What I mean is that, we had a child together. We were each others firsts and we haven't been with anyone else since. I think that's the definition of marriage right that."
She looked at him with shock etched into her exotic features. "Are...are...are you proposing marriage?"
Kisuke turned a wonderful crimson. He scratched his cheek with a goofy expression on his face. "I'm not too sure. When Naruto comes home one day, doesn't he want a family with two parents and a stable home?"
Yoruichi thought about that for some time. "We can give him that without marriage as well though. But I think I can see your point. We don't want him to think that he was a bastard or something."
"That's a rather harsh way to put it." Kisuke fidgeted on his bed. "Marriage might be in our best interest though. Your people can't do anything to him if we're married, right?"
Yoruichi pondered this for a while. "Perhaps that would be the eventual step, however at the moment there are a few members of my clan who would be opposed to this marriage in every way shape and form. I told this to Retsu so long ago. Should we get married, they would say that the blood of my clan is tainted with the blood of a lesser nobility."
"And how long ago did you tell her this?" He inquired.
"Fifty years back."
"Then think logically, in fifty years, a lot could have changed. I know for a fact that one more elder died about twenty years back or so."
"Be that as it may, the remaining elders have been pressuring me to get married, even going so far as to propose matches for me."
He sucked in a breath. "No! You can't...please don't accept these proposals. I...we...Naruto needs a stable home when he returns. If you get married...You just can't!" He exclaimed forcefuly.
Her demeanor softened slightly. She reached over to caress his stuble laden cheek. "I know Kisuke. I've rejected every proposal that they've thrown at me. There is no alternative to a father. I'll never replace you. Ever." She turned over, away from him. Within seconds, her eyelids drooped at she fell into the best sleep she had had in a very long time.
His breath hitched at the suggestion of what she was saying. He smiled softly at her now still figure. Yoruichi was asleep. It still amazed him at how she could just curl up and doze off at any moment. Kisuke dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Just don't leave in the morning like you did last time." He whispered in her ear. And with that, he too fell into a deep slumber.
Somewhere in his chambers, Yamamoto Genryusai paced back and forth. Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi. Fifty-oneyears ago, he had sensed a very potent reiatsu growing inside of the woman. He had lived long enough to realize who's child it was. Two of his strongest captains had created a child and then given that child away to the human world. He wouldn't punish them. Though loathe to admit it, those two were very near his own level. Any child of theirs would be an absolute powerhouse. There was no doubt about that. Yamamoto had seen the opening of the Senkaimon fifty years ago. He had deduced what had transpired and kept his mouth shut, eager to see how this would play out. Yamamoto had discretely protected the area where the boy was living from hollows and such. The hollows would be attracted to the boy's reiatsu and try to harm him. The boy, aptly named Naruto was a very humble and kind boy. Though under that gentle demeanor, Yamamoto knew there lay dormant power. His reiatsu was already so high that it could match any captain's.
Urahara-Shihoin Naruto. I wonder if you truly will become your namesake and shake our world to the core.