There were not a lot of things in all three realms, four if you counted Hell that could really surprise Urahara Kisuke. As an assassin, he saw and did things that could make a normal man throw up for days and have night terrors for weeks. As a security guard, he had to deal with troublesome inmates and by the time he became a scientist, very few things could really surprise him at that point. The very concept of 'surprised' was nearly non-existent, as well the concept of 'impossibility'. Nothing was impossible for Kisuke. It didn't matter how low the odds of an event were, he always made sure he had a solution just in case that event happened. When he met Ichigo, however, all of that would change. The kid continued to beat the odds, not matter how impossible they were. Yes, he may have pushed him towards the right direction in some cases, it was really all Ichigo. But now, standing in his shop with one of his closest friends, staring at a formally dressed and very much alive Kurosaki Ichigo was the most impossible scenario he could ever think off. He was so shocked, he didn't even notice his fan falling to the floor. Beside him, the former Kidō Corporations Commander was silent but had hidden his shock well. He had been on edge when this tall man suddenly knocked on the door and asked to see the boss, but now that edge had faded when Urahara muttered that word. As he looked closer, he noted that the man did look familiar and there was no-one else who called the sandy-blonde shopkeeper by that nickname. His voice even sounded eerily familiar.

"Ho-How…" Kisuke cleared his throat as regained some composure. "How do we know that you're not someone pretending to be Kurosaki-san? Ichigo died half a decade ago-"

"Due to being stabbed in the back by the Gotei 13, who then left me powerless and vulnerable to be eaten by an army of Hollows. Is that what you want?" The man responded with a raised eyebrow.

"That information is not exactly classified young man and that alone is not enough to convince me that you're Ichigo."

"I see, well let me think." The man had a thoughtful expression on his face. ""Five years ago, when Yoruichi, I, Chad, Orihime and Uryū went to rescue Rukia, I fought Kenpachi and I barely survived. That's when Yoruichi revealed her true form to me. She teased me with her body again during my Bankai training."

'I believe it would not be inaccurate to call it your Quincy: Vollständig training, seeing how Juha Bach was trying to refine your Quincy powers at the time.' The Reiō boomed.

"It was because of her that I managed to achieve Bankai using that strange doll, I forgot its name, and beat Kuchiki Byakuya. I punched the shit out of you when I found out what you were planning with the Hōgyoku. I watched you, Yoruichi, Isshin, the Vizard and the Thirteen Court Guard Squads get single-handedly defeated by Aizen. Also," he held out his arm and manifested a Khyber blade, the same one he used to wear on his back all those years ago. "And if you still don't believe me, there were the instances where you used to throw blood bags into my room with messages?" Kisuke's guard lowered a little, but he was still looking at the man with caution. Ichigo decided to finish playing the guessing game. "Did my messenger arrive to tell you about me?"

A light bulb went off in Kisuke's head as it instantly clicked. "That man who claimed to be a Zanpakutō spirit…"

"He is a Zanpakutō spirit, Urahara-san. One of them anyway."

'That's why that man paid so much attention to Yoruichi; they had seen each other during the three-day Bankai training method.' The former 12th Division captain thought to himself. 'That would explain Yoruichi's odd behavior lately.'

"I believe him." Both Ichigo and Urahara turned to Tessai, who had been silent until now. "Eyes are the windows to the soul, and this man's eyes have no deceit and has not looked anywhere but you, not to mention the fact that he knows information that no one else knows, including the blood bags. I believe this really is Kurosaki Ichigo."

The room was silent for a few moments before Kisuke sighed. "I myself have come to that conclusion." He then looked at Ichigo who had not moved in the slightest. "Faking your own death. You still never cease to amaze me even after all these years." He then walked up to Ichigo and gave him a quick hug. "It's good to see you again Kurosaki-kun."

The raven-haired man chuckled. "Good to see you as well Getaboshi. You still look as shady as ever."

"I try." Kisuke smiled. "Please sit. Would you like some tea?"

"It's the middle of the night Urahara-san." Kisuke's smile merely widened. "Fine, but I'm afraid this is not a social call. There's some things you need to hear and unfortunately for us, we don't have time."

Kisuke opened his hand that had materialized out of nowhere and stared at impossibility that was Kurosaki Ichigo with a calculating gaze. "Oh, do tell."

X

( Royal Palace, Gatonden)

"You seem awfully quiet Kirio." The woman with the large breasts could not help but smile slightly at her female comrade's words as she looked at the ceiling of one of her palaces. She turned to the side and stared at Senjumaru's amused expression that was staring back at her. They were both in the pink-haired woman's large room and lying on her large bed, both of them naked underneath the covers and their clothes on the polished floor. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Penny?"

"It's what Ichigo-kun always asked me whenever I was in deep thought about something."

"Oh." Kirio giggled before turning serious. "I was merely thinking about the unforgivable sin that will be committed in the near future and if there was anything I could do to stop it."

The woman with the thousand arms' amused expression faded and was replaced by a somber look on her face. "Why are you thinking about that when you know why we have to do what we have to do?" She sighed. "You know as well as I do that he can't be saved no matter what we do."

The busty woman narrowed her eyes. "How will we know if we don't even try?"

"Hikifune, this is Osho we're talking about here." Senjumaru spoke sternly. "He may not act like it, but that man is the personification of evil. He was there when they dismembered the King. He took the Reiō's left arm for himself and was never going to release his hold on it if it were not for Yhwach and his Almighty. He is incredibly strong without his Ichimonji and damn near invincible with it. He is the only one who knows how to defeat anyone with limitless reiryoku with a secret technique that he had created. He will not hesitate to kill anyone who stands in his way in his quest for power, so I suggest you never talk about this anywhere near Osho because he knows all and sees all."

"Don't you care about Ichigo at all or you still think of him as your plaything?" Kirio asked as she sat up.

"Of course I do."

"Do you love him?" Senjumaru's mouth snapped shut right when she was about to speak. The former 12th Division captain saw this and continued. "You do, don't you?"

"…I have no clue as to what you're talking about."

"Then prove it to me that you just care for Ichigo." Kirio stared knowingly at the slender woman. "Just say you don't love him."

Senjumaru said nothing for a few moments, before suddenly taking the cook's hand and pressed it against her toned stomach. Kirio was about to remove her hand before she felt…something. She blinked owlishly at Senjumaru who emotionlessly stared back. Not sure what was going on, she put her hand on Senjumaru's stomach and listened closely. This time she heard it instead of felt it, causing her eyes to widen in shock.

"That's how much I care about Ichigo, and that's why you will speak to no-one about this until I tell Ichigo, he deserves that at least." The weaver said as she gently pushed her female comrade off her and almost instantaneously got off the bed, collected her clothes and left the room, leaving behind a still shocked Kirio.

X

"So" Ichigo drawled, his eyes scanning the two people in front of him as they sat down. "What do you guys want to know?"

Kisuke looked thoughtful for a second. "Well, there are a lot of things that are currently on my mind that I would like to ask, but I suppose I can start off with this: How are you still alive?"

The godlike hybrid nodded. He had already predicted that this question was going to be one of the first ones they asked. Honestly, he would have been surprised if they didn't ask him that question first. "I'll answer in a bit, but first things first," he said, looking all over the room. Without saying a word, he put his hand on the small table they were surrounding. A green light erupted from under his palm, quickly surrounded the room and disappeared just as quickly, as if nothing ever happened. Ichigo felt the stares and shrugged, "A Kidō exclusively for camouflage, mixed in with a soundproof Kidō. Now we can speak clearly without the Wandenreich eavesdropping on us." A wave of understanding washed over the three powerful former captains.

"I'm more shocked that you, of all people, knows Kidō, something you basically sucked at." Kisuke remarked.

'He's right, you know.'

'Shut up.' Ichigo responded. "Thank Hikifune Kirio and Hyōsube Ichibēi. They are the ones who taught me Kidō and how to control Reiryoku and reiatsu."

"Eavesdropping?" Tessai asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. They can use shadows to eavesdrop and gather information. They've been doing that for a thousand years to see who the most dangerous threats are to them. Hat-n-Clogs and I are on that list."

That caught Kisuke's interest. "Oh my. I can't say I'm not flattered, but for what reason am I on the list?"

"Well, the Reiō wasn't too clear on the specifics, but apparently I'm in that list for my 'latent abilities', while you are there for your 'resourcefulness'."

"Resourcefulness?"

"That's what he said."

"Who else makes that list?" Tessai questioned. "It seems to me that the people on the list are the ones who are very powerful."

"That's what Ossan believes. I myself don't know. Now back to your earlier question: I was revived by the Reiō himself."

Kisuke raised an eyebrow. "Ichigo, did you say you got revived by the most powerful being in existence? Because that implies that you-"

"Died, yes." He finished somberly. "Now Tessai, back to your question before I forget it: to my knowledge, the people who make up the list are me, Kisuke, Kenpachi, Hyōsube Ichibēi and," he looked the scientist dead in his eye, making him shift uncomfortably.

"Aizen Sōsuke, who someone I'm currently looking at right now forgot to mention that he was also my biological father."

Kisuke's jaw dropped to the floor while Tessai's expression turned more stone faced, if that was even possible.

Ichigo continued, "Yeah. Manako Osho told me everything. About you creating the Research and Development Institute after Kirio was promoted to the Zero Division, you and Tessai being framed for using Hollowfication on the Vizards by Aizen, her breaking you guys out and living in exile, the Hollow White, how my mom and Uryū's dad were supposed to be married, but didn't want the marriage to happen, how my mom and dad met, how you and dad saved my mom from dying after being infected by Hollow reiatsu, how my f- Aizen," Ichigo grimaced, an expression noticed by everyone present, "tricked my mother into a one night stand... Everything."

Kisuke sighed. He had always known that one day, Ichigo would learn about his heritage. That line of thought was before the Thirteen Court Guard Squads acted upon the single most stupid decision they had ever made. After that, he decided the next best thing was to tell Karin and Yuzu. He even got Isshin's permission to do so, but then Yuzu disappeared. Now it didn't seem like the right time. He slightly bowed his head. "Listen Kurosaki-san. I-"

"Don't bother."

The former captain raised his head, confused. "I'm sorry?"

Ichigo just stared at him with an impassive expression. "You were about to apologize for not telling me about Aizen, weren't you? Even though I don't like it, I'm sure you had your reasons. You don't need to tell me why." He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "You want to know what the funny thing is. After I learned the truth, all the hatred I had for the man just... disappeared. Just like that. It was as if it never existed in the first place." He chuckled. It was a bitter one. "It was almost as if, I was waiting for the confirmation. I know it's weird, but that's what I felt at the time." He turned to look at the goddess. "Tell me the truth. You, Tessai and Isshin knew all along, didn't you?"

Grey eyes stared directly into chocolate brown for a few seconds, trying to gauge what his reaction would be. Finally, he inclined his nod forward once. The orange-haired man closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. His Majesty was right all along, as he usually was. He had hoped, even though it was a tiny speck of it, that it was not true. He felt waves of support all around his body as the three spirits tried to comfort him.

'The truth always hurts, my dear boy. That is reality and no one can change that.'

"Listen Ichigo." Kisuke began, his tone filled with guilt. "You have no idea how much we wanted to tell you, but we had to respect Isshin and Masaki's wishes."

"I know." He said to both. "I will talk to Dad about my heritage, and I definitely will talk to Aizen soon. But enough about that for now. I'll talk about it when I'm ready. Now then, what have the gang and ghost-fuckers been doing while I died?"

Kisuke chuckled. "Not so good, I'm afraid. After the Vizard found out as to what happened to you after you defeated Aizen thanks to the Zero Division, they quit on the spot and moved to another warehouse in fear that the Thirteen Court Guard Squads would try to contact them and possibly force them to work with them, just like me." When Ichigo shot him a confused look Kisuke elaborated, "A few years after the Gotei 13 were summoned to the Royal Palace," the scientist frowned, something Ichigo and Tessai took note of, "Ukitake-san, Kyoraku-san, Sasakibe-taicho, Unohana-taicho and Yamamoto came to me and asked for my help. When I refused, Yamamoto said he was going to kill Yoruichi, Tessai, Jinta and Ururu if I didn't comply. He even got touchy when I addressed him by his full name as defiance."

"You did not mention this to me or Yoruichi-sama." Tessai boomed.

"Bold man." Ichigo said.

"Thank you. Now where were we? Ah yes, so naturally I had to comply. They were told about an invasion that was going to occur five years from then, headed by a Quincy named Yhwach who looked like your Zanpakutō spirit. They then gave me a list of gadgets that this army had and I had to create ways to counter them. When I went there to show them my work, the Quincies invaded and Yamamoto was killed by Yhwach."

"Are you sure about that?" Ichigo asked.

Kisuke opened his mouth to answer back, but quickly closed it when he noticed that Ichigo had an amused expression on his face that looked so much like that man, and being the genius that he was quickly put two and two together. "It was you?!"

"That's right." Ichigo nodded. "I helped him when he was losing to Yhwach but being the arrogant and stubborn dickhead that he was, refused to acknowledge my help and then talked to me as if I were one of his subordinates. So I killed him."

Kisuke whistled in surprise. "They will find out eventually Kurosaki-san."

"Oh, no doubt about that. That's part of the plan. When they see that I am still alive, they will put any animosity towards me aside and ask me for my help to which I am going to laugh in their stupid faces and tell them to go fuck themselves." Ichigo responded. 'Which reminds me, Shiro-'

'Let me go in his place Ichigo-sama.'

'Why?' A confused Shiro asked.

'Because when you arrive there, you-know-who will challenge you and you will accept and you will proceed to play with him for a while and waste precious time. At least with me, I will deliver the message quickly and efficiently without fighting.'

'She does have a valid point.'

'Indeed.'

'She's right though.'

'OH COME ON!'

'Please go before he has mental breakdown Ayumi. You know how he is when he does not get what he wants.'

'NOT YOU TOO OP GRAMPS!'

"Kurosaki-san." Kisuke brought Ichigo back to reality.

"Yeah?"

"Might I ask about your thoughts?"

Ichigo's face darkened. "I was thinking about killing the man who murdered my mother and in what excruciatingly painful and brutal way to do so."

It was silent in the shop, before Kisuke coughed and said, "Never-mind then."

X

"Sir?" Nanao knocked on Kyōraku's door, but she received no answer, which was unusual for the lieutenant as the dark haired man usually responded right away. A little bit concerned, she slowly opened and saw her captain standing by the window, his back was turned towards her and he was looking down at something. "You really need to respond when someone knocks on the door, sir." She spoke, but Kyōraku stayed silent. Nanao knew now that something was terribly wrong. Normally, he would always respond to her, whether it was a grunt or a word, he always spoke back to her. For him to stay this silent even after she spoke was a little bit unnerving for the woman.

"Sir, are you even-"

"Nanao-chan." Kyōraku finally responded, but the response was uncharacteristically monotone. "It seems like we might have to say goodbye to each other." He finished as he turned to look at Nanao, holding a big piece of paper. Written in bold, it said:

Official Message to Kyōraku Sōzōsuke Jirō Shunsui.

The above mentioned is hereby appointed the positions of Captain Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and Captain of the First Division.

He then gestured for her to take and read it. She did just that and once she read what was on that papers, her eyes went wide and looked at Kyōraku in shock and amazement, who was just chuckling at her reaction.

"What are you going to do now, Kyoraku-taicho?"

His amusement faded and quickly turned around to look at the beautiful scenery outside, "Well Nanao-chan, there's only one thing I can do and that is finishing what the Quincies have started." He answered. 'And maybe not die while trying to avenge Yama-jii. I'm too young and handsome to die, plus Nanao-chan would kill me if I did kick the bucket.'