Hello everyone :)

Chapter XI

Disclaimer, reminder and warnings as per usual.

Friendly reminder: this story will be slightly AU and some characters might be OOC. For anyone who is not into YAOI, please do not go or read any further, this is not going to be your cup of tea :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters, they all belong to Tite Kubo-Sensei etc., etc.

WARNINGS: Spoiler alert for anyone who is not up to date with the manga and only watched the anime! Somewhere along the way might contain but is not limited to include dark themes, suicidal thoughts, heavy sexual contest, yaoi (again xD) and some other themes not suitable for under-age reader. Read at your own risk and discretion! And if you don't like, please don't hate too much :3

Glad to hear I was able to get Urahara. I was seriously worried I might fail since he is such an amazing and unique character :)

Thanks for the continuous support. Without you all, I would have probably been too scared to post beyond chapter one. So happy the story is liked :D

Chapter XI

'… Just what is going on Shirosaki?'

Ossan was considering going to Shirosaki's location. He could not track his reiatsu seeing as it was concealed. However, being the resourceful Quincy, he would always admit to being, he could go near the place from where Shirosaki's reiatsu last spiked. His aim would be off for a small amount and from there he could always track the barrier that was stifling Shirosaki's pressure.

The only problem to his master plan, was the sleeping Masaki. He was not inclined to the idea of waking her up, even less to bring her with him as he was unsure what he would have to deal with. He scoffed. Shirosaki was well capable of getting out of any situation on his own. Yet, his camaraderie with the Hollow was awakening the desire to offer a helping hand. Must be due to the time they've spent together waiting… Waiting for a chance to see him again. An opportunity to make things right. He still blamed himself for not having realized just how dangerous Soren was sooner. He had been blind to Ichigo's sufferings during his childhood and later unable to foresee the outcome. He should have listened to the Hollow's pleads and warnings.

Here they are, connected by the desire to fix their pasts with hopes of a better future. They had promised, in their own ways, that the tragedy would be altered. They wanted to give Ichigo the possibility to be reborn, live and be happy.

Masaki was the ray of sunshine that brought back life into their dark nights. The rope that lead out of a bottomless pit. He was aware that both him and Shirosaki were more energetic than just a few days ago. Was it due to her presence or the probability she represented? Or was it caused just by her bubbly personality? It was a mystery, but a pleasant one, so he accepted the good it brought to both their lives.

Even more of a reason not to leave Masaki alone or to drag her in possible danger. He would have to figure a way to prevail over his 'spirit of inquiry' more commonly known as curiosity. Even thought, not knowing what was happening was driving him mad. If only he could find an alternative solution.

As thought his pleas were heard, a knock on the door was heard. Who in the world could it be at this time of the night? Certainly, none of the staff for fear of losing their posts should they be reported of disturbing the distinguished guests. Using his refined senses, he was able to immediately tell who was on the opposite side.

'Why would Soken come after us? I was sure everything had been said at the Ishida's manor. I guess to find out I will have to ask him directly.'

He opened the door gesticulating the unexpected visitor to be silent and follow him. Soken entered the room and immediately understood the need to remain silent as the little girl was in a deep sleep. Meanwhile, Ossan closed and locked the door and prompted the other to follow him to the adjoining room. Once they were inside his room and the door was closed, Ossan questioned the reason for such a late visit.

Soken was dressed in a white reishi armor. A few blue stripes on the front, around the sleeves and on the rims of the trousers decorated the protective gear. His bow was not present, but being a Quincy that meant nothing as it was just a matter of having it formed when needed. He made a light bow and spoke in a quiet voice.

"Apologies, Heika. It was not my intention to impose, especially at this hour. I merely wished to meet the companion You spoke about. A certain 'Shirosaki' as Masaki-san mentioned. It would be beneficial to know all members involved as well as inform You of an unusual Hollow reiatsu that was just recently felt."

'He must have felt Shirosaki's reiatsu just as I did. I have to find a way to either avoid the chance of the two meeting or letting Soken know what Shirosaki is. The latter sounds like a better option.'

Deciding to tell the truth, Ossan offered for Soken to sit on the chair near the dressing table.

"You may want to sit down for some time. The reiatsu you sensed was indeed similar to that of a Hollow. However, I can guarantee you it is not a matter to be concerned."

Ossan could see the confusion and surprise on Soken's face. As predicted the other started to make rushed remarks and expressed his concern for the wellbeing of humans. Ossan put a stop to Soken's rambling by lifting a hand and requesting silence.

"I must demand for this conversation to remain between the two of us as a top priority secret. What I am about to say might confuse you or sound unbelievable. Nonetheless, everything I will reveal is the truth. A truth I've been living with for centuries. Therefore, I request for you to listen patiently without interruptions until I finish. Have I made myself clear?"

The tone of voice was most appropriate for a King, leaving no room for arguments. Soken was left with nothing but acceptance and nodded his head as silent as requested.

"Now, first of all Shirosaki is a unique individual, a Hollow and Shinigami hybrid. The reiatsu you've felt belonged to him. The reason why it was unusual, is hybrid because you have never encountered anything similar. No human or other person spiritually aware or not is in any danger from Shirosaki. I can guarantee that with my life. We crossed roads a long time ago thanks to an individual who was precious to the both of us. Unfortunate circumstances have caused for this person to perish and we've been together ever since. You could say we are driven by an equal motive. Shirosaki is not dangerous, unless provoked or in danger. He does tend to overreact and his reiatsu rises when upset, but he would never attack without a good reason."

The poor seated Quincy thought his brain might explode. A docile Hollow? What a ridiculous notion. Yet, knowing the stories about the person in front of him, he was, surprisingly, reassured. The Heika had been known for his righteous judgement and sharp intellect. If a person of such caliber was stating without any traces of doubt that a Hollow could cooperate and coexist with spiritually aware individuals, he would believe. One of the many reasons he left the new army was due to the clash of beliefs. He wanted to think that Quincy and Shinigami could cooperate and work together without disrupting the balance of the worlds. After all, both shared a common goal. Why was it so difficult for Quincy and Shinigami to collaborate? And here he was, hearing a liaison between a Quincy and a Hollow existed. Amazing. He had an even greater desire to meet the unknown Hollow. He would have to speak up, if he wanted for his wish to come true.

"I see. Heika, what You have said is far beyond anything I could have ever imagined. During Your stay at our house, I did mention I left the new recruits since they were breaking tradition. Although, that was just one of the many reasons. One of the strongest motives for my 'desertion', sort to speak, was due to our different opinion on how to deal with Hollows and Shinigami. I have great confidence Quincy and Shinigami could join forces and work toward a brighter future in balance and harmony. Unfortunately, neither side is open to such suggestions. Heika, Your story served to reaffirm my thoughts to be correct. If a hybrid is capable of living with no major issues with a Quincy, there stands reason to believe a similar approach could be used with Quincy and Shinigami. Heika, I had the wish to see this individual before. Now my desire has only increased. Is there any possibility You would approve for our meeting?

Surprise, surprise. He met another open-minded soul. A rarity for sure. A small nearly invisible smile appeared on Ossan's figure. One would probably miss it, since it disappeared as soon as it came. He was back to square one. He still wanted to check on Shirosaki and did not want to leave Masaki behind. Perhaps, he could ask Soken to watch over Masaki, while he went to Shirosaki?

"I am glad to see you are taking the information well. And I am even more relieved to have met a kindred spirit. I can most certainly arrange a rendezvous for the two of you. Still, before we plan so much in advance, I would like to ask for a favor. As you noticed before, Shirosaki's reiatsu considerably rose a while ago. I wish to see what was the cause behind the occurrence. As mentioned before, Shirosaki is well adept at controlling his pressure. It slightly worries me for it to have been felt so abruptly. Would you mind staying here and watching over Masaki, while I check on Shirosaki?"

Soken could understand, but he offered an even better solution.

"May I make a suggestion Heika? We could take Masaki-san to one of the rooms at my place. A safer location does not exist for miles around. She would be protected by all within the perimeters."

Ossan considered the option and found no faults. Using his shadows, they could be at the Ishida's in a matter of seconds and could use the same technique to reach close to Shirosaki.

"In that case, let us make haste, less we may miss all the excitement this night offers."

Ossan made his way back to the still slumbering Masaki. He took her gently in his hands and motioned for Soken to grab a hold of his hand. All three disappeared in a flash of black.

Shirosaki left out another loud groan. He would have wished to avoid this conversation altogether. Meh, he was told it was not a big deal, to be proud of what and who he was and some other things along those lines. Hah! Bet you did not see that one coming! A Hollow being reassured. Yeah, he too would never admit that to anyone.

"Before I start, can either of you tell me how much you know about Hollow evolution?"

Both Urahara and Tessai looked at each other and then at Shirosaki. What an odd way to start a tale. Urahara went ahead and gave the short version.

"Just as you mentioned Shirosaki-san, we Shinigami have truly neglected to study in more details Hollows, besides figuring out ways of purifying them in an easier way. We do know of the existence of different Hollow types. The regular Hollows born from human souls who stayed far too long in the World of the Living after they died or from souls bitten or nearly devoured by other Hollows. At some point, Hollows are able to evolve and would become Menos Grande otherwise known as Gillian. A Gillian can either remain as is, or go further into the level of an Adjucha. The final stage would be the one you mentioned before. Vasto Lorde. Not much is known about Hollows above a Menos Grande level, besides that they are very few in numbers and rarely come to the human world."

In an attempt to lighten the mood up, Urahara pulled out his fan and waved it in front of him.

"So, you see. That would be all we know. I am sure a rarity such as yourself would know more on the subject."

Spanning the fan shut, he gave Shirosaki a heated glare. "Care to enlighten us?"

Shirosaki could only sneer at Urahara and the silent assistant. "Yeah. Have you ever heard of the term Arrancar?"

Silence befall the room. The tension in the air skyrocketed. Shirosaki took that as his que to continue.

"Judging by the expression on your faces, I'll say yes. It's something Adjucha and Vasto Lorde Hollows can do. They break a part of their mask to gain Shinigami powers. Worry not, last time I checked, they were low in numbers. Supposedly it is an excruciatingly painful thing to do, so not many are keen on trying. Ma, I can't really blame them. How would you feel like if you were to try and rip a part of your soul? Well, those few who try are probably not even aware of what they're actually doing to themselves when attempting to gain Shinigami powers in that way. Stupid, greedy, power hungry fools the majority of cases."

Urahara was bursting from excitement. He had a living hybrid in his store who seemed to be a Hollow encyclopedia. Only his desire to hear more kept him firmly in place, else he might have already smothered Shirosaki-san with more questions and tried to experiment on him. That and the unquenchable teeny-tiny suspicion that Shirosaki works for Aizen. Though that notion was so irrelevant he decided to let it drop. He was a genius after all, he would see any silly attempt a mile away. This did not seem like something Aizen would do. No, Aizen was far too arrogant to send a person capable of sharing such juicy information. So, instead he focused on what Shirosaki just said about Arrancars.

"Shirosaki-san, I am a bit baffled. You said they break part of their masks which is part of their soul. However, all the knowledge we Shinigami have indicate that when a plus becomes Hollow their heart becomes the mask they wear. If Hollows aiming to become Arrancar must break their mask, doesn't this mean they would irrefutably lose part of their heart? You said that they rip off a part of their soul instead, that would mean ripping a fundamental piece of themselves and should forevermore be unable to live as they did before. Concluding, they should become weaker as they would be incomplete. But instead as we all know, they gain Shinigami powers. Any ideas on how that became possible?"

Shirosaki smirked. Shinigami and their lack of adequate knowledge.

"Che. This only shows to prove how much you Shinigami lack in understanding. Yes, the mask is the heart and what is the heart but a fragment of a soul? Not just a section, but one of the more important parts at that. It is the core of all emotions. I'm not sure if you have ever met and Adjucha or Vasto Lorde, but in case you did not, I'll tell you that the hole in their chests' is in different locations. Since it's not the heart as the organ that sets in motion feelings and stuff like that. Nope, and it's not like what humans believe either. Humans would say emotions come from various chemical reactions and what not. But none of those are correct. The so called 'heart' is just the portion of your soul which expands, shares, stores and teaches you how to feel. Back on Arrancars. Let me ask you this: 'When a Hollow breaks part of their mask, what happens with those broken pieces?' There is but only one answer. Those parts, set free, merge and unite to form a Zanpakuto. Voila, congratulation! You get a Hollow with a Zanpakuto. Basically, a Hollow with Shinigami powers."

Shirosaki paused to see the reaction on the two and was not disappointed to see shock and a to his dismay friction of understanding. Aww, not fair. They were taking all the fun out of this. It would have been more hilarious to see them struggling to comprehend. Oh well, he may just continue.

"Get it now? Arrancars lose nothing by removing their masks. Sure, it hurts like hell to rip off a piece of yourself, but that piece never leaves you, it just evolves and turns in a different form. Vasto Lorde and Arrancar Hollows are the only two blessed or cursed with gaining back their previously forgotten humanity. Arrancars gain their humanity via their acquired Zanpakuto and most go insane due to the large amount of feelings they suddenly start to sense. Only few remain sane enough and you don't see them coming to the World of the Living, simply because they have no need to come here. They can live from the air and sand in Hueco Mundo, an occasional Adjucha or other Vasto Lorde here and there surely doesn't bother them much. Unless they remembered how to feel sympathy. Vasto Lorde are a bit different. Once you reach the form of Vasto Lorde, you automatically become more human-like in appearance. As a Vasto Lorde, you regain some emotions. Power hungry fools also break their masks thinking they will gain even more power, but they actually regress to the level of Adjucha with Shinigami powers. Most low power Vasto Lorde attempt to do it for strength and the chance of improving their Shinigami powers as they reached the peak of their Hollow ones."

Shirosaki paused to take a deep breath. Man, this was getting long. He looked at the, now, cold tea. So far, Urahara had tried to trick him in one way or another. It would be logical for something to be in the tea. Shirosaki, did sense some hesitation radiating from the crazy shop-keeper and that pissed him off to no end. He was opening up so much and sharing info and still the lunatic was not satisfied. He sternly looked at Getabōshi.

"Before I proceed, tell me what's in the tea? If it's poison, I'll definitely not take it and you'll have to forget the chance of getting more research material for I'll be 'gone with the wind'. I'll give you the possibility to tell me straight forward what's in it and if you lie, trust me I'll know. So, I ask you again. What's in the tea?"

Urahara pulled his fan out, again and covered his face. Trying to look as innocent as he could pull off. Shirosaki's serious face made him realize there was no point in kidding around.

'Heh, the cat is out of the bag. Frankly I feel as though he can read through my mind with little to no efforts. He would be a scary opponent in a fight.'

The hand holding the fan was moved to the side and he used it to make a few waves as he spoke.

"Ma, ma Shirosaki-san. There is nothing to be worried about. The tea has a small dose of a truth serum of my personal invention. It is fashioned in a way that doesn't change the smell, taste or texture of the beverage it gets mixed with. It also contains several vitamins and is beneficial for nice and smooth digestion. Seeing as you saw through this little trick of mine, you don't have to drink it if you don't want to. You can have mine instead"

He closed the fan and went to change the two cups. Tessai at his side was panicking on the inside a bit, as he did not see that coming. Thus, only poured the serum in the cup meant for the Hollow. Shirosaki's well trained eyes did not miss even a single move. He had the whole picture figured out. The big guy was in charge of putting the liquid in his drink, but only placed it in his drink instead of putting it in everyone's. He could avoid the serum by just drinking from either of their cups.

Heh! Deciding to give them another heart attack, he swiftly took his cup of tea and drained the content. Yup, both were losing their minds. That's the kind of face they should have more often. Accept for Getabōshi and that infernal paper fan. Just when did he pull it out again to cover his face? Wow, his focus was a little off. Why were there two Getabōshi's now? Dear Lord, please someone, anyone, tell him they were not multiplying. Huh? He was relaxed. Far more relaxed than he had been in a while. His mind was getting blank. Must be the stupid thing he drank, if only he could remember exactly what it was…

Urahara had not anticipated for Shirosaki-san to willingly take the truth serum. He had meant to cheat him into drinking it. For Shirosaki-san to take it of his own volition… It changed his whole picture of the Hollow. He saw Shirosaki's understanding of the situation. Shirosaki-san had known that the only tea infused with the serum was the one offered to him, yet he took it and, judging by the unfocused look in his face, he was fully under its' influence. He had to be positive, what he saw on the Hollow was really as per his deductions. So, he asked Tessai:

"Tessai-san, may I re-confirm that only Shirosaki-san's cup contained the serum?"

The taller male was as astonished as his boss and only confirmed with a slight nod of his head.

"Well, then. Let's get this show started. Shirosaki-san can you hear me?"

Shirosaki remained emotionless and only replied with a: "Yes."

Urahara was getting excited. "I will ask you several questions in a row and I want you to answer them in the same order once I stop. Can you do that?"

Another "Yes." Was his answer.

Uh, Urahara was becoming overexcited. "Perfect. Here are the questions: Do you know a man named Aizen Sousuke? Do you work for Aizen? Are you using a new type of gigai or other shell to interact with humans in the living world? What are you doing in this city? What is your purpose for being here? Is everything you have told me the truth? Have there been any untruths since we've met? Are you really born a hybrid from a Hollow father and Shinigami mother?"

Still under the effects of the serum, Shirosaki responded with an even tone. "No, I do not know a man named Aizen. No, I do not work for that man. No, I am not using any artifact or other objects to be visible to humans. I have come to this city because my partner decided to come here and visit his relatives. My purpose is to protect those I care about and when I have the time, help those in need. Yes, everything I have said is the truth. No, I said no lies since we've met. Yes, I was born this way. My father was a Vasto Lorde Hollow and my mother a true blood Shinigami."

Urahara was very close to jumping in the air and was tempted to start dancing like the crazy maniac he tended to be. The serum was a great success and he was left with no doubts about Shirosaki's story and intentions. A lucky and exhilarating day indeed.

He was about to start his next round of questions, curious about Shirosaki's partner and the explanation he had received about his purpose. But he got stopped by an unusual feel in the air and Tessai's sudden apprehension. He gave Tessai a meaningful look, silently asking what was the matter. The distressed glance Tessai sent his way along with same man standing up were causing him even more stress.

"Tenchou*, the barrier is gone."

Another chapter out and about ^.^

As usual, I'll be looking forward to any and all criticism, just please don't hate :3

For the forgetful ones *Tenchou* stands for 'shop manager' in Japanese.

Quick recap: English is not my mother language so if I made any mistakes or any errors, please let me know. I am the writer and the spellcheck person all in one. I know this is getting old. But better safe than sorry xD

Wishing everyone a great day/night ahead :)