Bleach Fic: Bad Luck
Title: Bad Luck
Author: aviss
Giftee: perouze
Characters: Urahara Kisuke/Shihouin Yuroichi, Kurosaki Isshin
Genre: Drama, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Words: 4.229
Disclaimer: I wish they were mine, but alas, I can only play with Kubo Tite's toys…
Summary: Mistakes, secrets and things left unsaid. No even a centuries old relationship can survive that.
Notes: Back-up for bleach_exchange, sorry for the delay. Request: Urahara, Yoruichi, black cat. I hope this fits the requirements.
Bad Luck
"Long time no see, Kisuke"
Urahara Kisuke turned, startled, at the voice. For a second he was unable to make the connection between the black cat standing in front of his store's door and the voice that had just spoken his name.
A cat? A talking cat?
And then he felt it; that reiatsu. That long lost and sorely missed energy that always made his own tingle in sympathy.
A slow smile spread on his face. "Long time no see, Yoruichi."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She's out of your league, Kisuke"
Urahara Kisuke turned to see the smiling face of his friend Kurosaki Isshin. He looked up again, just in time to see the Princess of the Shihouin clan disappearing from view. Smiling at his friend, he started to walk toward the Academy.
"She looks unhappy and trapped in those stuffy clothes. I think she would rather be here, with the normal people, than up there surrounded by nobility."
Isshin just shook his head; they had that same conversation several times, and it seemed that Kisuke never managed to make the other shinigami understand. "That's just what you think. And based on what? You've never spoken to her, and you probably never will. But I'll give you that she's beautiful, I understand why you look at her all the time."
Shrugging, Kisuke let the subject drop. He didn't think Isshin understood; he didn't understand it either. He just knew there was something in Shihouin Yoruichi that set her apart from the rest of the nobility, that told him she would be his perfect companion if only he could get close enough for her to notice him.
"We're going to be late for class if we don't hurry up." He said, walking faster. His friend picked up the pace and both of them were in class just in time for the lesson to start.
Kidou. Stifling a yawn, Kisuke took his seat and waited patiently for the lesson to be over. He already excelled at Kidou, and he had also achieved a perfect shikai and was learning some of the attacks Benihime allowed him to do. The Academy was a huge waste of his time. He should already be in the Gotei 13.
Bored, he let his mind wander. The Shihouin Princess. How could he approach her without causing a scandal? How could he get past her guards? She looked so lonely and bored in those traditional clothes, her eyes lifeless and dull. He wanted to rescue her. Only he didn't know if she wanted to be rescued. Or how to do it. Everything was confusing; since the first time he had seen her months before, when he started the Academy, she had been the only thing on his mind. It was her eyes what called him to her, the sadness he could see there where the rest of the shinigami could just see a Princess, someone to stare at in awe and envy.
"Urahara Kisuke," the teacher's voice took him out of musings, and he snapped back to reality to see that the class had ended and the rest of the students were leaving the room. There was someone with the teacher, and Kisuke was surprised to see that it was Yamamoto-soutaicho and another captain. "Yamamoto-soutaicho and Yusui-taicho want to have a word with you."
He approached them and browed respectfully. What would they want from him?
"Urahara-kun," Yusui-taicho began, "we have heard about you in the Gotei 13, and we would want to offer you a seat in my Division when you graduate from the Academy."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was strange to have Yoruichi back, and even stranger to have her back in that shape. So many years had passed; so much anger and sadness and pain lying between the two of them. Kisuke could feel the presence of his past mistakes in the room, almost like the corpse of their history together.
"Kurosaki is here, in Karakura." she said the moment he sat down with a cup of tea. "I don't think he recognized me like this and I couldn't feel any reiatsu coming from him. He was walking around with a woman, a pregnant woman. There's going to be trouble."
Is that what you want to talk about? He wanted to say. No I missed you. No I wanted to see you again. No I forgive you.
"I know; I saw him sometime ago." He found himself saying, it was not the time to fight again the same old fight. "I haven't shown myself to him yet, and I think he can't feel my reiatsu. He's lost his powers and is living a normal, human life." Kisuke sighed; he had felt a stab of jealousy when he realized that his old friend had a chance at the happiness he had lost a long time ago. "I don't think is fair to involve him in my problems."
"Our problems, Kisuke." And it was so strange to hear that raspy, male voice coming from Yoruichi that he almost didn't realize what she was saying. "I almost quit a long time ago, but I'm back and I'll help."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You keep looking from afar, Kisuke, and she will never know how you feel." Kurosaki Isshin was, once again, behind him before he had even noticed the other shinigami's presence close by.
Kisuke was at his favourite gazing spot, the one where he could see the Shihouin Princess for longer before she disappeared again until the next day. Every day he would wait there, watch her pass, and go back to his duties. And every day Isshin would manage to get past his defences undetected and surprise him. He didn't even know why he was startled every single time, Isshin was regular as clockwork. As it was Yoruichi.
"Lets go, it's time for the ceremony." Isshin punched his arm lightly and started moving toward the Academy.
They've finally done it. The school days were over and they were fully fledged shinigami now. And Kisuke had a position waiting for him at the 12th Division. As third seat. It was impressive, actually. They were going to ask him to join as vice-captain, but they wanted him to learn the ropes of the division first. The position was almost guaranteed, in less than a year he would be wearing the vice-captain badge. And when that happened, he would approach Shihouin Yoruichi.
"You're thinking about her again," Isshin said when the ceremony was over, his voice an affected whine. "You should just go to her, snatch her under the noses of those guards, and K.I.S.S her--"
Kisuke couldn't help but burst out laughing while he tried to punch his friend. Isshin was like that, he was never serious, but he wasn't joking either. Most of the time he didn't know if he wanted to hit him or laugh at his antics. This time was no different.
"It's not so easy, Isshin. I'm a nobody and she is Shihouin Yoruichi, future head of the Special Corps. You don't approach someone like that out of the blue and tell her--"
"That you love her, that you want to K.I.S.S her, that you want to do naughty things to--" Isshin stopped talking when Kisuke's hands pressed against his throat. Laughing, both of them fell in a mock fight, rolling over the ground and trying to choke one another.
A shadow fell on top of them, and they stopped, still laughing.
Kisuke was the first one to recognize her. Out of her traditional clothes she looked younger, and her body was petite and beautiful. She was wearing some kind of training gear, and was alone for the first time since he had seen her. Her hair and most of her face was covered, but he would have recognized those eyes anywhere.
"Boys!" she said, a smile on her voice, and she stepped over them and was gone in a second.
Kisuke stared after her, too surprised to even breathe. A swift kick to the head sent him sprawling to the ground again.
"Go after her, baka!"
And in a flash, Kisuke was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Why a black cat?" He asked when they seemed to run out of safe topics of conversation. "And how did you manage the transformation?"
Yoruichi's yellow eyes fixed on him, they were the same colour as the human Yoruichi's, but somehow they were so different. They lacked the feeling, the life he remembered in those eyes.
"Isshin always said I was bad news, that bad luck followed me." She said quietly, her eyes dropping again to the floor. "I thought it was funny to be the bad omen."
Kisuke sighed, so much for safe topics.
"Bad luck didn't follow you. It fell in love with you and dragged you to this half existence."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Your talents are wasted on the 12th Division, Kisuke." Yoruichi said looking at the open space surrounding them.
Their training ground was finally finished; after working in secret for the best part of a year, the results were beyond their expectations. A place only for them, where they could freely spend time together, train and perfect their skills. And maybe, Kisuke hoped, get even closer.
He could never be grateful enough that Kurosaki made him follow Yoruichi that day years ago. That had been the chance he had been waiting for a long time, the opportunity to actually speak to her and introduce himself. And he had been right, after just two minutes of conversation she was treating him informally, friendly; and after that they took all the opportunities they had to be together.
The only thing that worried him was that he didn't know what kind of feelings she had for him. Did she think of him as just a friend? A dear friend and partner in crime, but just that. Or maybe, he hoped, she had deeper feelings for him.
It was no secret that he had been in love since the first time his eyes fell on her, and she was aware of that. Only, they never mentioned it. And she had never shown any indication that her feelings were more than friendly.
"We can train here without being interrupted," he said, changing the path of his thoughts, it was not the time to dwell on that. "and without your guards trying to kill me."
Yoruichi laughed. "Well, they thought you were attacking me."
"And I was," Kisuke smiled, "and I would have actually beat you if they hadn't intervened."
"You know," she took her combat position and Kisuke got ready for the fight; he wasn't likely to get any more warnings before she attacked, "I promised that as a reward if you ever beat me I would give you a kiss," She launched herself at the startled man, who barely had time to dodge before she twisted and threw a well aimed punch to his head. He fell hard, his head spinning with the force of the blow. "So I don't mind fighting dirty. They will never let you get close enough to me outside, but here--here you can try as much as you want."
Reading that as the only confession he was going to get from her, Kisuke got up again and faced her, a new determination to win shinning in his eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It was my choice, Kisuke."
And for how long had he longed to hear those words? To be absolved of the guilt of taking her away from her clan, her position, her life on Seiretei. He wanted to believe it.
Closing his eyes, he shook his head.
"You followed me here based on a lie, and everything that went wrong afterward was because of that. You were right to leave."
There was a rippling sound and suddenly, where the cat had been, there was Yoruichi glaring at him in all her naked glory.
"Bullshit!" he stared at her, his mind completely blank and his body responding to the sight without any input from his brain. "I was bored out of my mind in Seiretei; the Division and my clan meant nothing to me without you there. You don't know that I wouldn't have come knowing."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sky never changed at their training place; it was impossible to know if it was day or night. It had been like that since the beginning; he could probably change it now, make it more realistic, but it wasn't worth the effort.
And besides, that way he could contemplate Yoruichi's body always covered in light.
She stirred, still naked on the ground after their love making. Yellow eyes opened, still clouded with the last remnants of sleep, and looked at him. "Did you spend all the time looking at me again?" she said, her voice still rough.
"Well, there isn't much else to stare at here." He smiled, his hand moving to put a lock of dark hair behind her ear in a tender gesture.
"That's true," she got up and stretched shamelessly, muscles rippling under her dark skin. "but you should sleep a bit as well. Tomorrow, or is it today now? Anyway, we have the Captains meeting and you will be introduced to your duties. You can't go there looking tired and nervous."
Kisuke wanted to tell her that he wasn't nervous about his appointment; he had known for a long time that the position was his. No, what worried him, what kept him awake was the research he was conducting. And he couldn't tell her about it. Not yet.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, she was way too sharp to keep it secret for long. But it wasn't the time yet. He smiled up at her.
"No, nothing is wrong." He got up and embraced her, "Isshin is going to be appointed Captain of the 10th Division soon, and I promised him some help to perfect his Bankai, so we won't be able to do this here as much as we want."
She moved away from him and started gathering her clothes. "As much as you want, you mean," she smiled coyly and slipped her sweater on. He didn't understand that habit of hers of dressing the opposite way than the rest of the world. But he could enjoy the view of her unclothed lower body for longer, so he wasn't going to complain. "If your only worry is that you will be sex deprived while helping your friend, then I guess there is nothing to be concerned about."
"Maybe we should also ask Kuukaku to join us here; they would make a good couple."
"What? They would kill each other in less than a minu--yeah, I see what you mean. Let's invite her and we will have the place again for ourselves." She laughed, shaking her head. "I'll see you outside, Kisuke. Don't be late for the meeting." And she disappeared through the small opening on the sky.
Kisuke stayed where he was staring after her, his smile fading. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, or that he didn't want to share everything with her. It was just that he wasn't sure where the research was going; or how dangerous was it really going to be. "I'll tell you everything soon, Yoruichi." He said to the empty space.
He grabbed his white haori from the ground, and slipping it on moved to the opening. He also had a meeting to attend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You were right, Yoruichi, I used you. I used everyone--And I would do it again." He finally admitted, realizing it was the truth. "The Hou Gyoku is too dangerous. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure it won't fall in the wrong hands. And I'll use whatever means necessary."
She laughed at that. "Well, it sure took you long enough to admit you are a manipulative bastard." She said, her previous fury gone. "And I wouldn't want you in any other way."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What have you done, Kisuke?"
He couldn't remember seeing Yoruichi as angry as he was seeing her now. Her yellow eyes were narrowed and flashing, lips pursed, body taut and ready to spring. All in her posture suggested she was getting ready for a fight.
"They are looking for you all over Seiretei. They say you have gone too far with your research, that you have created something too dangerous. What is it? And why have you never told me about it?"
For a moment he thought they knew about the Hou Gyoku, and a chill stole through his body. They couldn't know about it, it was too dangerous. Someone would want to use it and that was something he wasn't going to let happen.
"They were saying Kurosaki was also involved, but he didn't know exactly what it was."
Was that what it was about? The gigai? Relieved, Kisuke told everything.
"Remember what we talked about, the undetectable gigai." He began, almost giddy with relief. He didn't notice Yoruichi's expression clouding even more. "Well, I thought about it for a while and decided to give it a go. It wasn't that difficult to create, but it wasn't completed when Isshin found out and he insisted in trying it." But it wasn't something to be that angry about; he was always trying to create something new.
"And you let him?" she asked, her voice cold and hard. "Without telling me anything? You tried something dangerous and untested on your friend? He's losing his power, Kisuke. That gigai is not only undetectable, and therefore forbidden in Soul Society, it eats the user's reiatsu."
He looked at her, not completely understanding what she was saying.
"They've sent me to detain you, Kisuke. As Captain of the Special Corps I'm the only one with enough power to do it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Does that mean I am forgiven?" he asked, wondering if it was possible that they could be together again like before.
Yoruichi shook her head, her smile tinged with sadness. "Not yet. It means I'm willing to help, and that I understand you didn't want to hurt me. Now it's you who need to understand that, and forgive yourself." She approached him. "I know that we never actually spoke about our feelings. You and I are too similar, so we understand each other perfectly. I'll come back; it's just that I'd rather come back to my old friend than the shadow you turned into."
Kisuke nodded. She was right; he had felt so guilty for taking her from Seiretei he had been the one pushing her away. It was time to change that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"For conducting dangerous and forbidden research, Urahara Kisuke shall be stripped of his position as Captain of the 12th Division and Head of the Technological Research Department in Seiretei. He shall be as well forbidden to ever come back to Seiretei." Yamamoto-soutaicho's eyes and voice were hard, not like Kisuke remembered them from so many years back, when he had been appointed Captain of the Division and the old man had praised him for his achievements in the Technological Research Department.
All the Captains and Vice-captains were there; some eagerly awaiting his departure to claim his titles for themselves. Kurotsuchi looked about to burst with impatience. Kisuke was sure the white haori would not have time to be washed before the ambitious shinigami put it on. Aizen Sousuke, from the 5th Division, looked disappointed and saddened, but Kisuke didn't understand the reason. They had never been friends, after all.
Isshin wasn't even looking at him. He didn't know why, but since it had been decided to punish him with exile, his friend had been avoiding him. Maybe he didn't want to speak to him because it had been Kisuke's mistake what had almost cost him his position as Captain of the 10th Division. Or maybe he blamed himself for telling on Kisuke. He didn't know, and at that moment, it didn't matter.
As for Yoruichi--she was staring coldly ahead, not making eye contact with anyone around. Kisuke didn't know what was going to happen now, he didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to her, but it didn't look like he was going to have a choice.
It was a blessing in disguise that they were making him leave, he knew he couldn't stay, not with that in his hands. He would find a way to hide it, to destroy it eventually far from the prying eyes of Soul Society. But he hadn't been apart from Yoruichi in the past two centuries, and he didn't want to be now.
"Shihouin-taichou has requested the duty to escort the prisoner outside Seiretei," Yamamoto-soutaicho said, and a Kisuke allowed himself a small hope. At least it would be possible to apologize and say goodbye.
She didn't say anything while the rest of the shinigami filed out, and didn't even look at him while they walked to the big doors. There were so many things Kisuke wanted to say, but the silence was crushing him.
The stopped at the entrance and still no words were spoken.
"Yoruichi--" he began when the silence became too awkward, only to stop short when he saw her mischievous smile.
"Jidanbou! Do you have my bag?" she shouted, and then she grabbed Kisuke's hand and squeezed it. "Let's go, Kisuke; Kuukaku is waiting for us!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, what are you going to do now?" Kisuke asked, wanting to tell her to put some clothes on, or turn back into the cat, or just leave right now before he embarrassed both of them jumping her.
She smiled coyly, almost as if she could read his mind. "Well, I have to go back to Kuukaku's. I'm afraid trouble is brewing and I need to be there." She took another step closer to him, and another. Kisuke didn't know if he should try to stop her or just grab her and crush her against him. "but first, I want to spend the night with my old friend and lover, if he doesn’t have any objections."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Is this what we left Soul Society for, Kisuke?" Yoruichi was angry again.
Kisuke wasn't feeling cheerful either; since they left Soul Society almost a century ago their relationship had been going straight to hell, and he couldn't see a way of stopping it.
Life in Karakura town was boring, being the owner of a store wasn't as exciting as having his own Research Division, and it was also hard for him. But lately Yoruichi was restless, impossible to live with, and Kisuke was afraid it was going to be the end of their relationship.
"You should have stayed, Yoruichi. I did what I had to do; I couldn't stay at Kuukaku's, or even in Rukongai. Not with the Hou Gyoku." He had said that so many times he didn't know why he bothered anymore. "But you didn't need to be dragged into this"
That was the root of their problem.
The first years had been the same as in Seiretei. They built a replica of their training place under the store, and spent as much time as possible there. It was as if they had never left.
And then, one day, Yoruichi found him trying to destroy the Hou Gyoku.
And since that day Kisuke had felt their time together coming to an end. And there was nothing he could do to stop it.
"I came because I wanted to, because there was nothing there for me. Yes, I came for you," she was saying, "but you never trusted me, you never told me. And you still don't." And he was unable to say the words, to try to defend himself. "I have to go, Kisuke. I don't know where, and I don’t know if I will come back. I just know I have to go."
He nodded and saw her lowering her eyes and moving to the door.
And still he was unable to say anything to stop her.
"Forgive me." He said to the empty room. I love you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The light was still the same as he remembered on the space under his store, it made him think about better and happier times.
"You spent the night staring at me again, Kisuke." Yoruichi hoarse, sleep-roughened voice told him she was already awake.
He smiled, remembering that same conversation before. "There is nothing else to stare at here."
And like before she got up and stretched, completely uncaring of her nudity. Kisuke looked his fill, wondering how it was possible that several hundred years together and apart had done nothing to change his feelings. Or hers.
"I have to go now, Kisuke." She said, turning again into a cat. And he felt cheated for being denied a goodbye kiss. Again. "I'll come back with news from Soul Society."
He nodded, and smiled when he felt the cat head butt his leg. He scratched her head gently and she purred.
"Don't worry, it will take me less that a century to come back this time."
And she was gone again.
Kisuke laughed. It was true that the black cat was supposed to be a bad omen, and in this case he was sure that her return just meant that everything was about to go pear-shaped.
But somehow he couldn't help but think that he was one lucky man.
~Fin~
Author: aviss
Giftee: perouze
Characters: Urahara Kisuke/Shihouin Yuroichi, Kurosaki Isshin
Genre: Drama, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Words: 4.229
Disclaimer: I wish they were mine, but alas, I can only play with Kubo Tite's toys…
Summary: Mistakes, secrets and things left unsaid. No even a centuries old relationship can survive that.
Notes: Back-up for bleach_exchange, sorry for the delay. Request: Urahara, Yoruichi, black cat. I hope this fits the requirements.
Bad Luck
"Long time no see, Kisuke"
Urahara Kisuke turned, startled, at the voice. For a second he was unable to make the connection between the black cat standing in front of his store's door and the voice that had just spoken his name.
A cat? A talking cat?
And then he felt it; that reiatsu. That long lost and sorely missed energy that always made his own tingle in sympathy.
A slow smile spread on his face. "Long time no see, Yoruichi."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She's out of your league, Kisuke"
Urahara Kisuke turned to see the smiling face of his friend Kurosaki Isshin. He looked up again, just in time to see the Princess of the Shihouin clan disappearing from view. Smiling at his friend, he started to walk toward the Academy.
"She looks unhappy and trapped in those stuffy clothes. I think she would rather be here, with the normal people, than up there surrounded by nobility."
Isshin just shook his head; they had that same conversation several times, and it seemed that Kisuke never managed to make the other shinigami understand. "That's just what you think. And based on what? You've never spoken to her, and you probably never will. But I'll give you that she's beautiful, I understand why you look at her all the time."
Shrugging, Kisuke let the subject drop. He didn't think Isshin understood; he didn't understand it either. He just knew there was something in Shihouin Yoruichi that set her apart from the rest of the nobility, that told him she would be his perfect companion if only he could get close enough for her to notice him.
"We're going to be late for class if we don't hurry up." He said, walking faster. His friend picked up the pace and both of them were in class just in time for the lesson to start.
Kidou. Stifling a yawn, Kisuke took his seat and waited patiently for the lesson to be over. He already excelled at Kidou, and he had also achieved a perfect shikai and was learning some of the attacks Benihime allowed him to do. The Academy was a huge waste of his time. He should already be in the Gotei 13.
Bored, he let his mind wander. The Shihouin Princess. How could he approach her without causing a scandal? How could he get past her guards? She looked so lonely and bored in those traditional clothes, her eyes lifeless and dull. He wanted to rescue her. Only he didn't know if she wanted to be rescued. Or how to do it. Everything was confusing; since the first time he had seen her months before, when he started the Academy, she had been the only thing on his mind. It was her eyes what called him to her, the sadness he could see there where the rest of the shinigami could just see a Princess, someone to stare at in awe and envy.
"Urahara Kisuke," the teacher's voice took him out of musings, and he snapped back to reality to see that the class had ended and the rest of the students were leaving the room. There was someone with the teacher, and Kisuke was surprised to see that it was Yamamoto-soutaicho and another captain. "Yamamoto-soutaicho and Yusui-taicho want to have a word with you."
He approached them and browed respectfully. What would they want from him?
"Urahara-kun," Yusui-taicho began, "we have heard about you in the Gotei 13, and we would want to offer you a seat in my Division when you graduate from the Academy."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was strange to have Yoruichi back, and even stranger to have her back in that shape. So many years had passed; so much anger and sadness and pain lying between the two of them. Kisuke could feel the presence of his past mistakes in the room, almost like the corpse of their history together.
"Kurosaki is here, in Karakura." she said the moment he sat down with a cup of tea. "I don't think he recognized me like this and I couldn't feel any reiatsu coming from him. He was walking around with a woman, a pregnant woman. There's going to be trouble."
Is that what you want to talk about? He wanted to say. No I missed you. No I wanted to see you again. No I forgive you.
"I know; I saw him sometime ago." He found himself saying, it was not the time to fight again the same old fight. "I haven't shown myself to him yet, and I think he can't feel my reiatsu. He's lost his powers and is living a normal, human life." Kisuke sighed; he had felt a stab of jealousy when he realized that his old friend had a chance at the happiness he had lost a long time ago. "I don't think is fair to involve him in my problems."
"Our problems, Kisuke." And it was so strange to hear that raspy, male voice coming from Yoruichi that he almost didn't realize what she was saying. "I almost quit a long time ago, but I'm back and I'll help."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You keep looking from afar, Kisuke, and she will never know how you feel." Kurosaki Isshin was, once again, behind him before he had even noticed the other shinigami's presence close by.
Kisuke was at his favourite gazing spot, the one where he could see the Shihouin Princess for longer before she disappeared again until the next day. Every day he would wait there, watch her pass, and go back to his duties. And every day Isshin would manage to get past his defences undetected and surprise him. He didn't even know why he was startled every single time, Isshin was regular as clockwork. As it was Yoruichi.
"Lets go, it's time for the ceremony." Isshin punched his arm lightly and started moving toward the Academy.
They've finally done it. The school days were over and they were fully fledged shinigami now. And Kisuke had a position waiting for him at the 12th Division. As third seat. It was impressive, actually. They were going to ask him to join as vice-captain, but they wanted him to learn the ropes of the division first. The position was almost guaranteed, in less than a year he would be wearing the vice-captain badge. And when that happened, he would approach Shihouin Yoruichi.
"You're thinking about her again," Isshin said when the ceremony was over, his voice an affected whine. "You should just go to her, snatch her under the noses of those guards, and K.I.S.S her--"
Kisuke couldn't help but burst out laughing while he tried to punch his friend. Isshin was like that, he was never serious, but he wasn't joking either. Most of the time he didn't know if he wanted to hit him or laugh at his antics. This time was no different.
"It's not so easy, Isshin. I'm a nobody and she is Shihouin Yoruichi, future head of the Special Corps. You don't approach someone like that out of the blue and tell her--"
"That you love her, that you want to K.I.S.S her, that you want to do naughty things to--" Isshin stopped talking when Kisuke's hands pressed against his throat. Laughing, both of them fell in a mock fight, rolling over the ground and trying to choke one another.
A shadow fell on top of them, and they stopped, still laughing.
Kisuke was the first one to recognize her. Out of her traditional clothes she looked younger, and her body was petite and beautiful. She was wearing some kind of training gear, and was alone for the first time since he had seen her. Her hair and most of her face was covered, but he would have recognized those eyes anywhere.
"Boys!" she said, a smile on her voice, and she stepped over them and was gone in a second.
Kisuke stared after her, too surprised to even breathe. A swift kick to the head sent him sprawling to the ground again.
"Go after her, baka!"
And in a flash, Kisuke was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Why a black cat?" He asked when they seemed to run out of safe topics of conversation. "And how did you manage the transformation?"
Yoruichi's yellow eyes fixed on him, they were the same colour as the human Yoruichi's, but somehow they were so different. They lacked the feeling, the life he remembered in those eyes.
"Isshin always said I was bad news, that bad luck followed me." She said quietly, her eyes dropping again to the floor. "I thought it was funny to be the bad omen."
Kisuke sighed, so much for safe topics.
"Bad luck didn't follow you. It fell in love with you and dragged you to this half existence."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Your talents are wasted on the 12th Division, Kisuke." Yoruichi said looking at the open space surrounding them.
Their training ground was finally finished; after working in secret for the best part of a year, the results were beyond their expectations. A place only for them, where they could freely spend time together, train and perfect their skills. And maybe, Kisuke hoped, get even closer.
He could never be grateful enough that Kurosaki made him follow Yoruichi that day years ago. That had been the chance he had been waiting for a long time, the opportunity to actually speak to her and introduce himself. And he had been right, after just two minutes of conversation she was treating him informally, friendly; and after that they took all the opportunities they had to be together.
The only thing that worried him was that he didn't know what kind of feelings she had for him. Did she think of him as just a friend? A dear friend and partner in crime, but just that. Or maybe, he hoped, she had deeper feelings for him.
It was no secret that he had been in love since the first time his eyes fell on her, and she was aware of that. Only, they never mentioned it. And she had never shown any indication that her feelings were more than friendly.
"We can train here without being interrupted," he said, changing the path of his thoughts, it was not the time to dwell on that. "and without your guards trying to kill me."
Yoruichi laughed. "Well, they thought you were attacking me."
"And I was," Kisuke smiled, "and I would have actually beat you if they hadn't intervened."
"You know," she took her combat position and Kisuke got ready for the fight; he wasn't likely to get any more warnings before she attacked, "I promised that as a reward if you ever beat me I would give you a kiss," She launched herself at the startled man, who barely had time to dodge before she twisted and threw a well aimed punch to his head. He fell hard, his head spinning with the force of the blow. "So I don't mind fighting dirty. They will never let you get close enough to me outside, but here--here you can try as much as you want."
Reading that as the only confession he was going to get from her, Kisuke got up again and faced her, a new determination to win shinning in his eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It was my choice, Kisuke."
And for how long had he longed to hear those words? To be absolved of the guilt of taking her away from her clan, her position, her life on Seiretei. He wanted to believe it.
Closing his eyes, he shook his head.
"You followed me here based on a lie, and everything that went wrong afterward was because of that. You were right to leave."
There was a rippling sound and suddenly, where the cat had been, there was Yoruichi glaring at him in all her naked glory.
"Bullshit!" he stared at her, his mind completely blank and his body responding to the sight without any input from his brain. "I was bored out of my mind in Seiretei; the Division and my clan meant nothing to me without you there. You don't know that I wouldn't have come knowing."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sky never changed at their training place; it was impossible to know if it was day or night. It had been like that since the beginning; he could probably change it now, make it more realistic, but it wasn't worth the effort.
And besides, that way he could contemplate Yoruichi's body always covered in light.
She stirred, still naked on the ground after their love making. Yellow eyes opened, still clouded with the last remnants of sleep, and looked at him. "Did you spend all the time looking at me again?" she said, her voice still rough.
"Well, there isn't much else to stare at here." He smiled, his hand moving to put a lock of dark hair behind her ear in a tender gesture.
"That's true," she got up and stretched shamelessly, muscles rippling under her dark skin. "but you should sleep a bit as well. Tomorrow, or is it today now? Anyway, we have the Captains meeting and you will be introduced to your duties. You can't go there looking tired and nervous."
Kisuke wanted to tell her that he wasn't nervous about his appointment; he had known for a long time that the position was his. No, what worried him, what kept him awake was the research he was conducting. And he couldn't tell her about it. Not yet.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, she was way too sharp to keep it secret for long. But it wasn't the time yet. He smiled up at her.
"No, nothing is wrong." He got up and embraced her, "Isshin is going to be appointed Captain of the 10th Division soon, and I promised him some help to perfect his Bankai, so we won't be able to do this here as much as we want."
She moved away from him and started gathering her clothes. "As much as you want, you mean," she smiled coyly and slipped her sweater on. He didn't understand that habit of hers of dressing the opposite way than the rest of the world. But he could enjoy the view of her unclothed lower body for longer, so he wasn't going to complain. "If your only worry is that you will be sex deprived while helping your friend, then I guess there is nothing to be concerned about."
"Maybe we should also ask Kuukaku to join us here; they would make a good couple."
"What? They would kill each other in less than a minu--yeah, I see what you mean. Let's invite her and we will have the place again for ourselves." She laughed, shaking her head. "I'll see you outside, Kisuke. Don't be late for the meeting." And she disappeared through the small opening on the sky.
Kisuke stayed where he was staring after her, his smile fading. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, or that he didn't want to share everything with her. It was just that he wasn't sure where the research was going; or how dangerous was it really going to be. "I'll tell you everything soon, Yoruichi." He said to the empty space.
He grabbed his white haori from the ground, and slipping it on moved to the opening. He also had a meeting to attend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You were right, Yoruichi, I used you. I used everyone--And I would do it again." He finally admitted, realizing it was the truth. "The Hou Gyoku is too dangerous. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure it won't fall in the wrong hands. And I'll use whatever means necessary."
She laughed at that. "Well, it sure took you long enough to admit you are a manipulative bastard." She said, her previous fury gone. "And I wouldn't want you in any other way."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What have you done, Kisuke?"
He couldn't remember seeing Yoruichi as angry as he was seeing her now. Her yellow eyes were narrowed and flashing, lips pursed, body taut and ready to spring. All in her posture suggested she was getting ready for a fight.
"They are looking for you all over Seiretei. They say you have gone too far with your research, that you have created something too dangerous. What is it? And why have you never told me about it?"
For a moment he thought they knew about the Hou Gyoku, and a chill stole through his body. They couldn't know about it, it was too dangerous. Someone would want to use it and that was something he wasn't going to let happen.
"They were saying Kurosaki was also involved, but he didn't know exactly what it was."
Was that what it was about? The gigai? Relieved, Kisuke told everything.
"Remember what we talked about, the undetectable gigai." He began, almost giddy with relief. He didn't notice Yoruichi's expression clouding even more. "Well, I thought about it for a while and decided to give it a go. It wasn't that difficult to create, but it wasn't completed when Isshin found out and he insisted in trying it." But it wasn't something to be that angry about; he was always trying to create something new.
"And you let him?" she asked, her voice cold and hard. "Without telling me anything? You tried something dangerous and untested on your friend? He's losing his power, Kisuke. That gigai is not only undetectable, and therefore forbidden in Soul Society, it eats the user's reiatsu."
He looked at her, not completely understanding what she was saying.
"They've sent me to detain you, Kisuke. As Captain of the Special Corps I'm the only one with enough power to do it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Does that mean I am forgiven?" he asked, wondering if it was possible that they could be together again like before.
Yoruichi shook her head, her smile tinged with sadness. "Not yet. It means I'm willing to help, and that I understand you didn't want to hurt me. Now it's you who need to understand that, and forgive yourself." She approached him. "I know that we never actually spoke about our feelings. You and I are too similar, so we understand each other perfectly. I'll come back; it's just that I'd rather come back to my old friend than the shadow you turned into."
Kisuke nodded. She was right; he had felt so guilty for taking her from Seiretei he had been the one pushing her away. It was time to change that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"For conducting dangerous and forbidden research, Urahara Kisuke shall be stripped of his position as Captain of the 12th Division and Head of the Technological Research Department in Seiretei. He shall be as well forbidden to ever come back to Seiretei." Yamamoto-soutaicho's eyes and voice were hard, not like Kisuke remembered them from so many years back, when he had been appointed Captain of the Division and the old man had praised him for his achievements in the Technological Research Department.
All the Captains and Vice-captains were there; some eagerly awaiting his departure to claim his titles for themselves. Kurotsuchi looked about to burst with impatience. Kisuke was sure the white haori would not have time to be washed before the ambitious shinigami put it on. Aizen Sousuke, from the 5th Division, looked disappointed and saddened, but Kisuke didn't understand the reason. They had never been friends, after all.
Isshin wasn't even looking at him. He didn't know why, but since it had been decided to punish him with exile, his friend had been avoiding him. Maybe he didn't want to speak to him because it had been Kisuke's mistake what had almost cost him his position as Captain of the 10th Division. Or maybe he blamed himself for telling on Kisuke. He didn't know, and at that moment, it didn't matter.
As for Yoruichi--she was staring coldly ahead, not making eye contact with anyone around. Kisuke didn't know what was going to happen now, he didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to her, but it didn't look like he was going to have a choice.
It was a blessing in disguise that they were making him leave, he knew he couldn't stay, not with that in his hands. He would find a way to hide it, to destroy it eventually far from the prying eyes of Soul Society. But he hadn't been apart from Yoruichi in the past two centuries, and he didn't want to be now.
"Shihouin-taichou has requested the duty to escort the prisoner outside Seiretei," Yamamoto-soutaicho said, and a Kisuke allowed himself a small hope. At least it would be possible to apologize and say goodbye.
She didn't say anything while the rest of the shinigami filed out, and didn't even look at him while they walked to the big doors. There were so many things Kisuke wanted to say, but the silence was crushing him.
The stopped at the entrance and still no words were spoken.
"Yoruichi--" he began when the silence became too awkward, only to stop short when he saw her mischievous smile.
"Jidanbou! Do you have my bag?" she shouted, and then she grabbed Kisuke's hand and squeezed it. "Let's go, Kisuke; Kuukaku is waiting for us!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, what are you going to do now?" Kisuke asked, wanting to tell her to put some clothes on, or turn back into the cat, or just leave right now before he embarrassed both of them jumping her.
She smiled coyly, almost as if she could read his mind. "Well, I have to go back to Kuukaku's. I'm afraid trouble is brewing and I need to be there." She took another step closer to him, and another. Kisuke didn't know if he should try to stop her or just grab her and crush her against him. "but first, I want to spend the night with my old friend and lover, if he doesn’t have any objections."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Is this what we left Soul Society for, Kisuke?" Yoruichi was angry again.
Kisuke wasn't feeling cheerful either; since they left Soul Society almost a century ago their relationship had been going straight to hell, and he couldn't see a way of stopping it.
Life in Karakura town was boring, being the owner of a store wasn't as exciting as having his own Research Division, and it was also hard for him. But lately Yoruichi was restless, impossible to live with, and Kisuke was afraid it was going to be the end of their relationship.
"You should have stayed, Yoruichi. I did what I had to do; I couldn't stay at Kuukaku's, or even in Rukongai. Not with the Hou Gyoku." He had said that so many times he didn't know why he bothered anymore. "But you didn't need to be dragged into this"
That was the root of their problem.
The first years had been the same as in Seiretei. They built a replica of their training place under the store, and spent as much time as possible there. It was as if they had never left.
And then, one day, Yoruichi found him trying to destroy the Hou Gyoku.
And since that day Kisuke had felt their time together coming to an end. And there was nothing he could do to stop it.
"I came because I wanted to, because there was nothing there for me. Yes, I came for you," she was saying, "but you never trusted me, you never told me. And you still don't." And he was unable to say the words, to try to defend himself. "I have to go, Kisuke. I don't know where, and I don’t know if I will come back. I just know I have to go."
He nodded and saw her lowering her eyes and moving to the door.
And still he was unable to say anything to stop her.
"Forgive me." He said to the empty room. I love you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The light was still the same as he remembered on the space under his store, it made him think about better and happier times.
"You spent the night staring at me again, Kisuke." Yoruichi hoarse, sleep-roughened voice told him she was already awake.
He smiled, remembering that same conversation before. "There is nothing else to stare at here."
And like before she got up and stretched, completely uncaring of her nudity. Kisuke looked his fill, wondering how it was possible that several hundred years together and apart had done nothing to change his feelings. Or hers.
"I have to go now, Kisuke." She said, turning again into a cat. And he felt cheated for being denied a goodbye kiss. Again. "I'll come back with news from Soul Society."
He nodded, and smiled when he felt the cat head butt his leg. He scratched her head gently and she purred.
"Don't worry, it will take me less that a century to come back this time."
And she was gone again.
Kisuke laughed. It was true that the black cat was supposed to be a bad omen, and in this case he was sure that her return just meant that everything was about to go pear-shaped.
But somehow he couldn't help but think that he was one lucky man.
~Fin~