Secrets Revealed

Night had come and Akasuna found himself standing on the roof of his house/workshop taking one of his few breaks as he gazed at the moon in the sky while he waited. During this time he let him mind wander to times long gone.

"The moon is full tonight." Akasuna heard someone say to his left as he continued to stare at the moon.

"True" he started to say to his mysterious guest as he glanced in the direction the voice had come from seeing a figure covered in shadow as he continued, "But it's not the same moon we knew in are youth is it, Gaara."

At hearing his name Gaara stepped out of his self made shadow leaving himself in full view. Now out of the shadows Akasuna was met with the sight of a man in his mid twenties judging by his face but his eyes bespoke of a person far older. He was about 5'7'' with blood red hair and pale skin with his most distinguishing features being the black circles around his eyes making him look somewhat like a raccoon and his pupil less light green eyes.

He wore something similar to black robes with a red sash around his waist and another one around his left arm with a strange symbol on it. He also had a sword on the sash around his waist.

"Perhaps, but Shukaku still stirs under its light Roko." Gaara's statement made Roko chuckle at the other red head and Gaara gave him a small smile in return.

"So how are Nanao and Mai? Still giving you headaches." Gaara's smile grew at the thought of his wife and daughter despite Roko's comment on the headaches they used to give him.

"Nanao has been the same although her captain has switched from flirting with her to teasing her when she starts to get serious." Roko chuckled again; he remembered Shunsui or as Naruto had named Pervy-Captain particularly when He had given her to Gaara at their wedding and started bawling at losing his sexy lieutenant.

"As for Mai she has started at the academy and already hates it as it's 'so boring' personally I think she spends too much time with Naruto that he's starting to rub off her." Now Roko was flat out laughing at his friend's predicament.

"I have no doubt that is probably true but I'm sure you training her along with several others no doubt has a part to play it as well." Gaara had the decency to look abashed as he did train her along with his wife, Naruto, Shunsui (Only when someone other than Rangiku was there watching), and surprisingly Soifon.

"Yes well that probably has something to do with it as well." Gaara finally admitted as Roko got control of his laughter.

"And Naruto? Has he finally confessed to Rangiku yet?" Gaara stared at his friend for a second, he knew what he really wanted to ask but was at the same time scared to so put it off.

"Yes and no." Roko raised an eyebrow at Gaara's answer and waited for his friend to continue. "He and Rangiku are together but it was Rangiku who asked him out after seeing 'her man' being swarmed by his fan girls."

Roko burst into laughter again after that, Naruto had gone through the biggest changes since they had arrived at Soul Society to the point he much like Sasuke had a hoard of fan girls after him but unlike the bastard Uchiha he didn't want to be rude or mean to them and as such had left him in a rather complicated position.

"If you want to know anything about her you are going to have to ask." The statement cut off Roko's laughter as he sobered up immediately and his smile became sad.

"You know me too well." Roko sighed as he looked back at the moon unable to meet Gaara's gaze as his thoughts moved to her. "How is she," he finally asked his eyes firmly on the moon.

Gaara sighed in turn as he began to speak, "She's fine physically but she has grown cold since your 'Death' and Yoruichi abandoning her has hit her hard even with Naruto and I trying to help her." Roko was silent as he listened to Gaara and although he didn't show anything on his face Gaara could tell his friend was suffering at the news.

"I see." Was all he said his voice devoid of all emotion as he tried to hold back everything he was feeling, Happiness that she was ok, sorrow for being one of the main causes to her pain, and anger at Yourochi for just dumping everything on her as she fled with Kisuke to the human world.

Gaara thought it best to change the subject, the last time Roko had been left to brood Soul Society had nearly caught him with the unintentional release of his Reiatsu. Roko to this day was one of three who could scare him with the first being his wife and the second his daughter both for different reasons.

"As much as I would prefer this isn't a social visit." Roko nodded, he was grateful for the change of subject and waved his hand for Gaara to follow him to the trapdoor on the roof that led into his house. Opening it with a flick of his wrist and a reiryoku string connected to the handle and lifted it up while Gaara followed behind.

As Roko and Gaara were talking over at Kisuke's shop Urahara was meeting with an unexpected but most definitely welcome guest. Sitting at his table was a dark-skinned woman with long purple hair, golden cat like eyes and an almost permanent smirk on her face.

The woman was also surprisingly to anyone who knew her actually wearing clothes in the form of a black undershirt with an orange over-shirt with two white straps on each shoulder, a large beige sash around her waist, and black stretch pants with a pair of lightweight brown shoes. All in all she cut a striking figure while she talked to the man sitting across from her.

The man had was tall even when sitting that much was obvious with light skin, grey eyes, and pale blond hair, and some chin stubble that looked like a person had taken a dull razor to it. He wore a dark coat with a white diamond pattern along the bottom half, a dark green shirt and pants along with wooden sandals. But the main thing most people noticed was the white and green striped bucket hat that shadowed his eyes.

"So Yoruichi what can I do for you or are just here to chat." The man known as Kisuke Urahara asked the dark-skinned woman as she sipped at a glass of milk.

"Partly things have been getting interesting around here from what I heard." Yoruichi said as she continued to sip at her milk. And indeed what she had heard things in Karaku town were getting very interesting as the hollow activity was growing.

"Ma Ma that hurts Yoruichi I had been hoping you had come to see little old me." Kisuke said a smile on his face as he waved said face with his ever present fan.

"Hmm tempting but sadly we don't have the time as I'm not saying long." Yoruichi said in reply and she was partly sad. She hardly got time to spend with her old friend and lover anymore as she was keeping Soul Society off their backs while Kisuke continued to work on ways to deal with Aizen.

"What the great Yoruichi is saying no to having fun? Next thing you know Roko will walk in here saying he has given up his Art." The moment the words left his mouth Kisuke wished he could take them back as Yoruichi's smirk disappeared and a sad frown was in its place.

"Is it still bad?" Kisuke asked even though he knew the answer. After they had escaped from Soul Society Kisuke, Yoruichi and the others who Aizen had experimented on ran into Roko who shocked them all when it was revealed he was still alive. Yoruichi had even attacked him for leaving to which led to Roko revealing why he couldn't return to Soul Society making Yoruichi and Kisuke feel ashamed but for different reasons. Kisuke had felt ashamed as like with the others it had been through his work that led to his current state while Yoruichi had felt horrible for blaming him for something outside of his control even if she didn't know about at the time.

But the worst of it was when he had asked about why they were here and Yoruichi had explained what she had done everyone had almost collapsed when Roko had unleashed his Reiatsu on them in his rage at Yoruichi and had almost killed the woman if the others hadn't drawn his attention and they fled to avoid the Soul Reapers that were investigating the area.

After that Roko would never stay in the same room with her and had on numerous times had used the woman as target practice when she came near her home. The only time he would tolerate her presence was when Kisuke had called them together to discuss the matter of Aizen and he always left as soon as they were done.

"He has every right to be mad at me he'll get over it eventually all I need to do is give him something for him to make a puppet out of." Yoruichi said with forced cheer that Kisuke saw right through causing him to sigh. Kisuke really didn't like that his friend hated the women he loved but there was nothing he could do about it.

And they used to be such good friends to, Kisuke thought before shaking his head. Part of him wanted to tell them both off but it wasn't his place no matter how much he wanted to.

"Besides I think that Kurosaki kid you told me about might just be the thing to help him move on." At this Kisuke raised an eyebrow wondering why she thought that.

"Owe, and what makes you think that." Yourochi smiled at him in a knowing fashion.

"From your description of the boy's personality he sounds a lot like Naruto and if anyone could get Roko to look past his anger it would be that ray of sunshine." Both started laughing at that for a while as they remembered the blonde and soon there memories drifted to the others and their laughter slowly died in their throats.

"Well I'll go turn in for the night if you care to join me." Yoruichi's smile was all he needed and soon both ex-captains were in their room barriers up as they enjoyed the night together.

As promised much longer than the last chapter and thank you for reviewing :)