Hello everyone :)

Chapter XVIII

Disclaimer, reminder and warnings. Nothing new, but needs to be written.

Friendly reminder: this story will be slightly AU and some characters might be OOC. For anyone who is not into YAOI, please do not read any further, this is not going to be your cup of tea :) Although, by now, I am sure most of you know what you're getting into x3

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

Dedicated to all who are following, reading and reviewing. I never thought this story would become this big and today it officially 'became of age' in several countries. I'll do another mini celebration when chapter 21 comes out :D Thank you all for the support and kind reviews. I honestly don't know if I could have made it this far without all of you :)

Chapter XVIII

The Urahara Shoten had a sign announcing it would be closed for the day due to inventory and restocking. On the inside in the 'meeting room', if you could call it that, gathered around the store owner, sat on hickory colored cushions the ever alert Tessai Tsukabishi, glasses, white shirt, gray pants and blue apron on his person as per usual and the black cat Yoruichi Shihoin. On the opposite side you could see Kurosaki Juhabach, to his right Ishida Soken, while Shirosaki Ichirou took the left. All occupants had solemn expressions on their faces. The round table was filled with cups of steaming hot tea for each individual and a large bowl of chocolate chips cookies.

Resuming the part of the jolly host, Urahara broke the silence by pulling his famous paper fan and beginning the session by waving it around.

"Now, now everyone. There is no need for such a gloomy air around us. Please serve yourselves. I already did promise Shirosaki-san here there wouldn't be any tricks. At least not on this occasion. Or do you feel intimidated by my fine-looking self? I admit to be a striking individual, though I'll do my best not to blind you with my awesomeness."

Urahara's mannerism earned no reaction from his guests. Such a tough crowd. A few seconds later, Shirosaki merely snorted and took a cookie from the bowl, munching on the treat as though everything was fine in the world. His trust display was all it took to lighten up the mood.

"These are not so bad. Can't believe you actually went and brought out cookies. I was sure you were the cheep kind of guy. My mistake. So, what is kitty doing back here? Wasn't she supposed to go investigate something? Or was her visit last night just a provocation?"

Urahara used the fan to cover his face, while looking at Yoruichi with surprised eyes. Yoruichi ignored the look sent her way. She had no shame in what she did last night. More like, early that morning.

"I do like to play with new toys. You seemed like a good option Shirosaki. Too bad you wouldn't take a hint."

Shirosaki gave her a blank stare, a fine show of annoyance, but no other sings of being bothered.

"Then, did you actually do any work or are we the only ones with info to share?" was Shirosaki's flat comeback. He had no desire to banter back and forth with the cat lady. Last night was more than enough.

Yoruichi was disappointed, she truly wanted to get on the others' nerves.

'Must be lack of sleep that is making the Hollow so grouchy and unresponsive to my charms.'

Yoruichi kept telling herself that, but did get lightly offended by the accusation of not having gathered any news. She thrived the most in spying. Though, her cat form prevented anyone from noticing.

"I did in fact go to Soul Society. Seireitei is under the impression that the local Shinigami from Narukishi city encountered a high-class Hollow, started a battle and ended in Karakura town, where the fight escalated and both the Hollow and Shinigami perished. A memorial service has been held in memory of the deceased rookie. The Shinigami in charge of Karakura has been released and will resume her duties in two weeks. It seems the Sōtaichō decided to appoint two Shinigami to both Karakura and Narukishi as a way to prevent new casualties. He is also planning on changing the divisions in charge of the cities, but it is still to be decided who gets which town. On another note there have been reports of missing Shinigami. A total of twenty so far. It is believed they have grouped and went rogue. Most went missing when going in small groups of two to three members. While some became absent when alone. I will be going back to Soul Society later in the day to see if I can find any traces of these Shinigami. But I would not be surprised if those who were unaccompanied ended up in Aizen's hands."

Urahara lowered the fan and was pensive for several moments.

"So, he is continuing his research on Hollowfication. I wouldn't be that astonished if all twenty were under Aizen's control. On the other hand, your deduction was right, Shirosaki-san. To be frank, I was under the same impression. Had you not mentioned that the Hollow escaped, I would not know any better. I did run a few examinations. Unfortunately, due to lack of data, I was not able to gather much. Therefore, I can't still fully confirm your hunch to be accurate. I did, however, stumble upon a recording device. I can only guess it belongs to Aizen. That would mean the Hollow must have been a test subject and we may expect to see it again. We should be prepared in case it does return. Though, if there will be two Shinigami per city, our movements will be very restricted. I was successful in locating most of those tiny contraptions and I took the liberty of disabling them. So far, they were only around Narukishi, but we may find ourselves with more of those sometime soon. To stop all of this, our best shot would be to get our hands on his Hogyoku, if he truly has one. Subsequently, the first step would be to exactly confirm he possesses one. Any suggestions?"

All were in deep thoughts. Ossan and Shirosaki were the only two who had ever managed to gather the orbs.

"Shirosaki and I should be able to verify if this Aizen has the gem or not. However, I do not see that happening for three reasons. Number one: we have never had to work on unsealed orbs. All those we have dealt with were sealed or in the process of re-sealing themselves after being used. From your words, it appears the one we are dealing with is very much functional, but, luckily not fully awake. Number two: we have no idea where to find Aizen or how to approach him without exposing ourselves. Lastly: we do not have intel on where he keeps the item. If he is as intelligent as I believe him to be, he must have found a way to keep it well hidden. Chances are it is not even in Soul Society. Nonetheless, we should be capable to prove his involvement with the Hogyoku and the forbidden experimentation if we could get our hands on one of the poor souls he is using in his trials. Both of us will be able to confirm if the individual was under the influence of the Hogyoku."

Urahara nodded, those were all good points.

"Hmm, I wonder Kurosaki-san, would you be able to tell the difference between two Hogyoku? Hypothetically speaking, could you possibly tell if the subject was exposed to two different gems?"

Without hesitation, Ossan replied immediately. "It is not a situation we have encountered in the past, thus I cannot give you a straight answer. Although, it is most unlikely. As you know, the Hogyoku is not like anything else we are familiar with. It has a presence of its own, utterly different from what we use as a reference or back up. Each orb might be different in its own way to the untrained eye. However, please do not forget Urahara-san, they used to be one whole item, therein lies my belief such a task could not be accomplished. After all the time we have spent around the Haldister fragments, I regret to say, they do feel the same everywhere we go. Which is yet another drawback."

Urahara once again nodded in understanding. He could clearly see it was not going to be an easy feat. But then again, nothing worthy was simple. That was precisely what fascinated him the most about sticky situations. The impossible and improbable were nonexistent terms in his vocabulary.

"Alright. I see your point Kurosaki-san. If the core is the same, it must feel the same. We can't approach Aizen directly, thus the secondary approach of apprehending his experiments while they are left to run amok is a good start point. To facilitate the task, I created special communicators for all of us present."

He pulled out of his inner pocket six beige plastic items shaped in the form of a tear and placed them on the table. Taking one in his hand he proceeded to demonstrate how the object worked and the proper placement.

"You take one of these babies and put it on your ear. A mini-acoustic sensor and microphone are implemented in each piece. They are already programmed to record any sounds and transmit your spoken words to all of us simultaneously. It works by using the heat in your ears. When you do not wish to communicate to the rest of us, just remove it from your ear. However, in case of emergency, you can still reach us by feeding it a minuscule amount of reiatsu. In other words, as long as you keep it somewhat warm either by body heat or reiatsu the device will continue to work. Should you find yourself in a 'delicate' situation, simply cool it down by any convenient ways. They are waterproof and quite the sturdy little things, so it shouldn't break easily. Although, I ask you don't test their endurance by throwing them around. My main computer will do the tedious job of memorizing and tracking. Effectively should we find each other in trouble, we will all be notified of the place and going around."

Shirosaki looked at the little things lying innocently on the table. He chuckled lightly getting the unwanted attention of all participants.

"What? I was just thinking how Getabōshi here had the time to magically make these spy gadgets while talking with us. You already saw all this coming, more or less, right Urahara-san?"

It was Urahara's turn to be embarrassed, although he was pretending to feel shame. He started waving around the fan in Shirosaki's direction.

"Oh, stop Shirosaki-san. I am just a humble but handsome shopkeeper. I couldn't have predicted this turn of events. I am a very optimistic person, but I do tend to prepare for the worst scenario. In fact, I like to consider a situation from each and every single angle, any probabilities and possibilities no matter how improbable. You may say I like to have a hundred plans ready all at once."

The casual tone was not fooling either Shirosaki or Ossan. They were not sure if it had worked on Soken, but it was irrelevant. Snickering, Shirosaki added under his breath.

"Yeah, right! Handsome, puff, not at all. More like a dirty old man, albeit a smart one. Can't deny that one."

Urahara gave the appearance of being hurt by those words. While Yoruichi burst out in laughter. Tessai, Ossan and Soken were keeping their stoic postures. Shirosaki on the other hand had a huge smile stretched all over his face.

Once everyone was composed the conversation resumed by the disgruntled Urahara, fan out of the way.

"Now then. On to another topic. I have stumbled upon a very interesting piece of information. More precisely, Yoruichi-san did. A Quincy came all the way to Karakura only to depart shortly afterwards. I was wondering if there is any particular reason for this unusual occurrence. No offence Kurosaki-san, but besides yourself and Ishida-san, I did not have the pleasure of meeting any other members of your kind. And I have been in the World of the Living for a while."

Next to Ossan, Shirosaki was fidgeting. He was not sure how much he should tell. He still had to give Ossan his full report on recent events and discoveries. Ossan must have sensed his unease as he tried to reassure him with a tap on the back.

"It's alright Shirosaki. We have already agreed to work together. Consequently, this means we have to divulge some of our predicaments. How about we let them know the things which happened up to this point? I will tell them all I have found out in this short time and then you will continue with the most recent information."

Ossan did not need to wait for Shirosaki's confirmation as he could tell the Hollow was more at ease. Looking at Urahara's group he started.

"The information I am about to share is not known to many and I would like to keep it that way. Shirosaki and I have just recently returned to Japan to visit my relatives. By that I am not insinuating Soken-san and the Ishida's, but the very last branch of the Kurosaki house. In recent years, I have noticed a high mortality rate. At first, I believed it was due to incidents or natural causes. However, I received a disturbing letter from the last Head of the Kurosaki household telling me there were unusual 'signals' around their daughter. They lived in a secluded area near Yokohama and when we arrived, we found the mansion destroyed. Only one lucky survivor left, the mentioned girl. We took Masaki into our care and have requested the Ishida's to adopt her as Shirosaki and I frequently travel. From the leftover reiatsu, we established that the offenders were Quincy. The Kurosaki is an old family with an extended history within our kinsmen. Thus, you can imagine my surprise to find out the attack was done by Quincies. Soken-san has confirmed that some families and survivors from the war between Shinigami and Quincy have gathered together in a remote area we call the Wandenreich. They are lead by an unknown person and we are yet to establish a motive behind the tragedy. The Shinigami busyness and the situation you have may or may not be connected. But that was not your question. You asked what was a Quincy doing here in Karakura town. I am under the impression that the mastermind behind the destruction of my family is after Masaki. She is the last living Kurosaki at this point and it is possible that the person who came was looking for her or for a lead to her whereabouts to finish the job."

Urahara was greedily absorbing all intel. He would have to agree with Kurosaki-san. There was no connection at all, yet something was bothering him. It felt like there was a missing puzzle piece. Why would the Quincy target their own? Not to mention, why would they want to eradicate a whole family? Judging by the way Kurosaki-san spoke about his relatives and a mansion, he could easily conclude they must be dealing with nobility.

Yoruichi had similar thoughts, which she brought up.

"In other words, a whole clan is being targeted with the purpose of its complete annihilation. You said your family and the Quincy share history. I was wondering if perhaps something from the past may be the reason for the incident. Just who are you Kurosaki-san or rather Kurosaki-sama? Am I right to presume you are or at least you used to be the Head of the Kurosaki house? You do speak and act like a noble."

Ossan had a small mysterious smile on his face, invisible to all but one Shirosaki. It was an amused expression he had kept from his time as the Emperor. He would have laughed, but his own smile would have to suffice.

"As they say, 'It takes one to know one.' Am I right Lady Shihoin?"

The cat momentarily bristled on her spot.

"How would you know that?"

Ossan did smile more visibly this time around. "You have just confirmed my suspicions."

Urahara's fan was back on his face. Yoruichi was bested at her little game something he did not have the pleasure to often witness. He would have made a snarky comment, but was stopped before trying by a swipe of Yoruichi's paw which took out his beloved fan. Oh, well. He would have to wait for another occasion.

Getting back on track, Urahara asked one of the many questions which were bothering him.

"Truthfully, it would seem these two cases are not connected. But I have this uncanny feeling that something is missing. Masaki-san, who is not present, is the linchpin to your case, while Aizen and the Hogyoku are our points of concern. However, we cannot let Quincy roam around Karakura and Narukishi, not with the threat of Aizen working from the shadows. Who knows what kind of trouble may happen if these two opposing forces clash with one another. Even more preoccupying would be if by some miracle the new unknown Quincy leader befriends Aizen."

Ossan nodded in agreement.

"I agree. It is not likely, but the probability is there. Urahara-san, may I inquire what is the ultimate goal of this person? You said he wants to create the perfect hybrid. For what purpose would he need to create such a being? It sounds like he is trying to play God, which is never a good trait."

Urahara lowered his hat, covering his eyes from sight. He had never discussed the topic with anyone else, besides his closest friends who were all exiled. Raising his head, he gazed deeply into the reddish-brown eyes of Kurosaki-san, hoping to find something more concrete.

"To be honest, you are a frightening character Kurosaki-san. You are reading through the lines a bit too easily. Well, you and Shirosaki-san too. We have not talked about this with many people, but we too have reason to believe Aizen is indeed playing God. No. More accurately, we think he is trying to become a God. I am positive, he is preparing hybrids or even Arrancars strong enough to bring Soul Society to its knees and usurp the throne of the Reiou. Of course, this is just a theory of mine as I have nothing to prove it with."

A quick spark appeared in Ossan's eyes, it was realization at just how dire the situation with this Aizen person was. The fool. Had he no knowledge of what the Reiou really was? Nothing more than a husk. A shell of a once great man.

He would know, after all the Reiou was his creator. He had never once thought of the man as his father. Not after being abandoned and left for dead for being born as an 'abomination'. His powers and senses had been his only saving grace, as by sharing a fragment of himself with others, he was able to grow and prosper. From there he became a ruler of a great nation. He did have resentments toward the Reiou, but never strong enough to warrant his death.

Not that he had to do anything about it. The man did get what he deserved in due time. The Shinigami somehow managed to catch him off guard and sealed him in an alternate space within Soul Society. Since he was too powerful, the Shinigami cut him in pieces and disbursed them around. If he remembered correctly, only the torso was left untouched. He did not see it with his own eyes. Instead he had a vision of sorts. In one of his dreams he saw the whole event. From that day on, the sealed entity was called the Reiou and became the cornerstone which kept the worlds in balance.

On that same day the Reiou became King, he pledged he would forget all about his creator and dedicated his life to his family and nation. This was the main reason he had continued on and took great care for his daughters when Serena died. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, he did his best to raise them. When Masaki wanted to marry a Shinigami, he had no major issues. On the contrary, he welcomed the idea. He knew Masaki would never have a pure-blood, but there was Katagiri. He had hoped that a marriage between Shinigami and Quincy would bring peace between the two opposites. That had turned out to be a colossal failure. The hole his wife's death left him was never filled. Until Masaki gave birth to Ichigo, his sunshine. Even though the little boy was not a pure Quincy, he managed to do the impossible and bring a smile back to his face.

He was lost in a sea of memories and got pulled out to the surface by Shirosaki's words.

"Yeah, well I for one, don't see those two getting along any time soon. Especially since they both want a fragment of the Haldister. Our only consolation is that the guy in charge of the Quincy is under the impression there is only one Hogyoku and hopefully the same can be said about your Aizen."

The quiet that fell upon the room was breathtaking. Shirosaki realized he had spoken too soon.

'Ops. Oh, well. I guess the cat is out of the bag. My turn to spill the beans.'

He sighed lightly, preparing for a barrage of questions and emotional outbursts.

"Just to give you all a heads-up. In regards to the cursed gem, your Aizen fella is not the only problem we have to deal with. There is another person going after the Hogyoku. Not after the ones from Soul Society, as he is not aware of their existence, thankfully. Nope, the individual I am talking about is searching for the lost orb in the World of the Living."

Ossan's neck turned toward Shirosaki so fast he must have got whiplash.

'Ouch! He'll feel that one by tonight.'

Shirosaki seemed sheepish at the attention he gained from all in the room and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hehe. Surprise. Told ya we have to talk Ossan."

Ossan closed his eyes to compose himself.

"Anything else I should be aware of? And how do you know this?"

Shirosaki looked between Ossan and their spectators. He wasn't so sure they should be telling everything. His doubts were eased by Ossan's next exasperated words.

"Don't you dare hold anything back Shirosaki."

Shirosaki gulped. Ossan was not in a good mood and he didn't even give him the bad news, yet.

"Well, then you may want to know Soren is reincarnated and…"

Ossan stood abruptly from his spot looming over the poor Hollow, not giving him the chance to speak any further. The air electrified by the intensity of the man's rage.

"Do not play with me Shirosaki! Not today! Not after what happened this morning."

The last sentence was spoken quietly. Shirosaki was not perturbed by the other's sudden mood swing. He got used to those. In fact, most of the changes were his doing. He pulled out from his front pocket the piece of stone with Soren's reiatsu and threw it at Ossan who caught it with his left hand. He was fast for a man his age.

"Whether you like it or not, Soren in back. I knew you would want proof. So, there you go. If this piece is not enough, there is a huge rock with his lingering reiatsu in the forest near the mansion."

Ossan tightly held the fragment. Shirosaki was telling the truth. This sensation, this reiatsu was undoubtedly Soren's. He had to, once again, calm himself down. Sitting back on the brown cushion, he tried to do just that.

Soken was astonished. Never had he seen Heika in such a state of turmoil. Not that he knew the man for long. Nevertheless, he was sure a reaction of such magnitude was not common occurrence in his Majesty's life. Which reminded him of something.

"Hei…Err… Kurosaki-sama. If I may, the man who is in charge of the Wandenreich is also named Soren. As I mentioned, we never got to see him, but I did hear the leader's name being spoken. With us having similar names it was easy. Chances that these two individuals are one in the same is high."

Ossan did not show any changes on the outside, but inside he was fuming. The rubble in his left hand had turned to dust from the strength of his grip. He released the hold and let the powder fall onto the table. He stared intently at his now empty hand, immersed in thoughts.

Shirosaki knew how the other felt. When he first found traces of Soren's reiatsu, he too had the unquenchable urge to blow something up. Not that either of them got the chance with all the happenings. He grabbed Ossan by the raised elbow.

"Oi. Listen here. We'll get him this time. Remember all those sayings 'Karma's a witch'? See, I'm even trying not to say the 'B' word for your sake. Look, we know what kind of man we're dealing with, we're smarter than back then and we're teamed up. Oh! And you better not forget, I called dibs on him first. I'm not about to share that privilege if you behave like this."

Shirosaki spoke calmly, gradually increasing his voice until the last two sentences when a sadistic smile broke on his face. Ossan looked deeply into those mesmerizing eyes. Shirosaki was right. It was about time for some payback.

Urahara's group had been shocked into silence. It was official, they were doomed. Ossan did recover and returned to his stoic posture.

"I believe you said there were many things to be discussed Shirosaki. Now is a good time as any. Proceed."

If you thought Shirosaki's smile could not become even larger, you were right. But if it could, it would.

"Ok. Starting from the mansion. The place is a wreak. Deep in the forest beyond the labyrinth is some sort of meeting or reunion place. Besides that piece of rock, I've found these things as well, scattered all over."

Shirosaki pulled out what appeared to be fabric parts as well as a medallion. Soken reacted at the sight of the later, while Ossan inspected the items.

"Hmm. The fabric will not be useful at all. It's just part of the servant's uniforms. This medallion-like object on the other hand, may prove very useful. Soken-san, am I right in presuming you are familiar with its properties? Your stiffening just now gave you slightly away. But even if you had not encountered this article before, there is no way for me not to recognize it."

Soken stood frozen in place. Heika was a truly remarkable person. He could tell his change in posture without even looking at him. No point in hiding something that is obviously known.

"Yes… Kurosaki-sama. It is as you say. It's a device that opens a portal to the Wandenreich."

Ossan placed the little item on the table and gave Shirosaki a pointed look.

"Neat. At least we have one lead. Next was supposed to be the information about the strange Shinigami activities, but we have already gone over that. Then we have this morning's case. When you guys left, a Quincy with pink hair came over at the parking slot. I can't remember the guy's name, but I think it was B something. Anyway, I overheard a conversation he was having with an individual he called 'Jugo'. From his words, he came because they had picked on a strong reiatsu and had sent him to investigate. By the way, totally your fault Ossan. Since they were unable to trace the reiatsu of the local Shinigami, they are all under the impression the outburst was from a fight between the two. That at least came in handy. I also heard him talking about searching for a girl under the orders of 'Soren-sama'. Seems like they are having no luck around Yokohama. Jeez, wonder why. Anyway, they are looking for Masaki because she is supposed to be the key to release the seal on the Quincy King."

Everyone in the room remained stunned at those last words, but for different reasons. Urahara's group had no idea that the Quincy King, or a part of him, was sitting not even a meter away from them and sipping tea. Though, they all had read the history. As per Shinigami records, the Quincy King was a power hungry devious man with power to rival the Reiou. For them just the idea of a group looking for a way to unseal this dangerous person was more than enough reason to be worried.

Their nervousness and worry were very obvious for the three on the opposite side of the table. Judging by the restlessness of their hosts, it was clear they would not be comfortable with working together with such an entity. It was a good thing that Ossan had assured to keep his name a secret. To most Quincy he was only known as the Emperor Bach, his full name and his last name had been a well-kept secret, very few among their kind were made aware of. The Ishida's and Kurosaki's were the rare exceptions, naturally due to their connection and the marriage arrangements from ages ago.

Shirosaki gave a barely noticeable nod to Ossan and continued on.

"Ma. It seems this guy as well as a number of Quincy in Wandenreich believe this story to be full of crap and as per his very own words: 'For centuries we, the Sternritter, have been unable to find and release the seal on the King, but a little kid is suddenly supposed to guide us to him?' Yeah, I don't agree either. But hey! At least we know there are some disagreements among their army. It's definitely a bonus."

Shirosaki ended the conversation with a gleeful smile, but dropped it at the apprehension plastered on Ossan's face.

'The hell?! I think he is getting pale.'

Urahara, too saw Kurosaki-san's transformation.

"Kurosaki-san, is something the matter? You look quite distressed."

Ossan took a minute or two to response with a nod, making everyone stiff on their spots.

"There is a humongous problem and it is Soren's reason to capture Masaki. I can guarantee it has nothing to do with the Quincy King. No. The true motive lies in the knowledge… a memory… a misinformation he got in his previous life. He was told that Masaki was the last person to have had the Hogyoku in her hands."

^ . ^

How is it? I'm getting deep into the mess, but it's all going to get easier… someday at some point. Or so I think x3

Thank you for reading :3

Looking forward to any and all criticism.

Reminders: English is still 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, not an easy job. I know this is getting old. But better safe than sorry xD

Wishing everyone an amazing day/night ahead :D