The Endless Night I (Soul Clenched)
Yoruichi got up from her seat and headed towards the door. "I am going to see if Kisuke is all right, Soifon."
"Shall I accompany you, Yoruichi-sama?"
Yoruichi frowned. "You had best stay here. There are strange things afoot. I'll need someone whom I know is capable of guarding the place while I am away."
"Your wish is my command, Yoruichi-sama. But please, if I may ask this of you, let me know when you return. I will want to know that you are back safely."
"Silly! You think something will happen to me? Yes, I promise I will let you know,"
Soifon is such a worry-wart, she thought, as she headed towards the 12th Squad's quarters. That's why I can trust her with everything.
She flash-stepped into the premises, determined to bypass the Research Institute's security. She was about to knock on Kisuke's door when she noticed a squad of guards approaching, and she quickly stepped back into the shadows. The guards stopped next to her and Yoruichi froze in place. Move on, you goons.
She noticed a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye. Above her, Kisuke had silently slipped away. Where the hell do you think you are going, Kisuke? She followed him from a distance and saw him stop suddenly. Two voices, whispering. Another figure joined him. Tessai! What are you two up to? She followed them for a length and saw them slip out of Seireitei. Drat it. That idiot owes me an explanation. I told him not to go…
She decided to return to the 12th Squad headquarters to wait for him. Several hours passed. She remained hidden in the shadows. In the distance, she felt a burst of reiatsu, and the sensation of a kido entirely foreign to her reverberated through the air. Something strange is happening. But I had better stay here and wait.
Yoruichi continued to maintain her hiding place. Two hours to daybreak and no sign of him. When you come back, I am going to smash you into a pulp, Urahara Kisuke. Belatedly, she mused that Soifon was probably worrying for her just as much.
The appearance of yet another squad of guards caught Yoruichi by surprise. They stood in front of the entrance to the Research Institute and announced "Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi. You are under arrest for illegal experiments on hollow powers and for the use of forbidden kido. Please follow us to the Central 46 Chambers, or we shall have to resort to force."
Yoruichi could not believe her eyes when Kisuke and Tessai stepped out, a look of resignation on their faces.
The Endless Night II (Soul Clenched)
Yoruichi watched the guard squad leave before somersaulting to the ground. Arrested by the Central 46? Wait, how did they even come back? What is going on in here? Yoruichi stepped into the research institute, determined to find an answer for her questions.
What she saw shocked her. Within the room, a pile of bodies lay in a heap, barely recognizable. Their faces were hidden or distorted by ghoulish skeletal masks. Two were bound and pinned by high-level kido spells. Hollows! Or Shingami? Is it true that Kisuke was undertaking forbidden experiments?
A white haori caught her eye. No. Impossible. The number "five" stared back at her, half covered in bone, but still visible. A rim of blond hair could be seen at the nape. "Shinji! What happened?" The figure stirred. "Yoruichi? Ah…"
Damn it! What the hell is happening? "Shinji! Who did this to you? What is Kisuke's involvement in this?"
"Aizen… help. Kisuke tried to save us…" Yoruichi tried to remove the mask from Shinji's face but found it impossible. "N…no use. Leave, Yoruichi. I don't know how long I can keep myself from attacking…"
I have got to get them out of here before anyone else discovers them. If they have acquired hollow powers, they will be executed! Yoruichi sealed her lips in a grim line, and got down to work.
It took the goddess of flash an hour to have everyone moved to a remote forest in Soul Society. She hid them in a cave near a rocky outcrop. I must go to Central 46 and find out what happened.
Before she could move, she felt an overwhelming reiatsu presence. Yamamoto appeared in front of her "Shou taichou!"
"Captain of the Second Squad, Yoruichi Shihoin. There is treason afoot." He opened his eyes and looked at her sternly. "At this very moment, Urahara Kisuke and Tessai Tsukabishi are facing a jury that will surely end in one condemned to exile and the other to incarceration. What do you make of that?"
"Kisuke and Tessai are innocent! They have been framed by Aizen!"
"Who will contradict Captain Shunsui's testimony that Aizen did not leave the 5th Squad's headquarters all night?" He countered.
"Shinji told me with his own lips that Aizen is the one-"
"And who will listen to the testimony of a shinigami that has transgressed into hollowification?"
Yoruichi fell silent, only now aware of the breadth of Aizen's plan and the hopelessness of Kisuke's case before the Central 46 Chambers. How on earth did Aizen manage to be in two places at one time?
"Shou taichou, I-"
"Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukido! I have a task for you." No, please do not ask of me to arrest or destroy my comrades.
"You are to rescue Urahara Kisuke and Tessai Tsukibashi from the Central 46 Chambers. You will use only hakuda and you will only disable the guards, and not kill. You may not harm any of the judges."
"You are all to hide in the real world. I believe that Aizen is laying out a vast conspiracy against the Royal Family, but I have no proof. We must wait for him to play his hand again. But meanwhile, I will not sit by and let the integrity of Soul Society be undermined."
"We must convince Aizen that he is beyond suspicion. He will then let his guard down. You will be denounced as a traitor and you will relinquish all your titles here, including your position as head of the Shihoin family. Is there someone who can take over the duties of the Onmitsukido and the Second Squad?"
"I… yes, my bodyguard, Soifon… she is strong…" Yoruichi's mind was in a whirl.
His eyes narrowed. "Tell her nothing. The fewer who know about this, the greater our chances of success. You will tell Urahara and Tessai nothing as well, until you have settled in the real world. I will be in contact as to our next steps."
He turned to leave. "Go, child. I am depending on you."
The Endless Night III (Soul Clenched)
"Kisuke, you idiot! You should have told me what you were up to!"
"Ah… you see…" Urahara Kisuke scratched his unruly mop of hair. Next to him, Tessai Tsukibashi frowned, unsure of what they should do next.
"I know you must have had a plan. Tell me, what were you going to do in the worse case scenario?"
Kisuke thought awhile. "I can fix up reiatsu-concealing gigais for all of us within the hour. We can hide in the real world while I try to help our hollowified friends." He looked over his shoulder, where Shinji and the affected captains and vice-captains remained unconscious.
"What about you, Yoruichi-sama?" asked Tessai. "What will you do?"
"Ah, don't worry about me. I have plenty of means of escaping. I will see you both in Karakura Town." She grinned and disappeared in a flash.
I promised I would let her know that I had returned. Within a few minutes, she was back at the Second Squad's headquarters. She saw Soifon in the distance, pacing about the roofs, looking out anxiously for Yoruichi.
She morphed into her cat form, leaving her clothes in a neat pile. With a few jumps, the black cat was perched next to Soifon, nudging her legs.
How will I let her know that it's me? I know! She started running down the corridor. "Hey… kitty! Come back!" yelled Soifon.
Yoruichi ran into the office and took up her position on her usual seat. She twitched her tail and looked intently at Soifon, who had burst into the room.
I did come back, Soifon. Don't worry about me. You are going to be deeply hurt, my dear sister, but be strong. I believe you will be up to the task. Goodbye, for now.
Yoruichi turned and leapt out of the window.
"Hey… Hey!" Soifon's voice faded in the distance.
I am sorry…
A few minutes later, Yoruichi Shihoin had exited Soul Society into the real world, and her reiatsu could be detected no longer.