Chapter 180 - The Castling
"A warrior who has lost his strength will only get in the way." — Kisuke Urahara.
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There was an underlying tension that filled the underground space currently accommodating this mismatched group of special individuals.
Kisuke, Shinji, Yoruichi, Rōjūrō, Itachi, Isshin, and Byakuya sat around a rotund carved stone that functioned as a table between them.
Of the seven, Kisuke was on the receiving end of two hateful glares from Shinji and Rōjūrō, a hard and helpless stare from Isshin, and a tense and critical gaze from Byakuya. Yoruichi had her arms crossed with an impassive expression on her face. Itachi had his head resting on his fist, his eyes closed, appearing the most detached from the group.
In another partition, away from where the Captains were holed up, the Lieutenants—Lisa, Hachigen, and Kaien—along with Tessai Tsukabishi, the former Kidō Grand Chief, and Junpei, the 2nd Division's Third Seat, sat by themselves as Tessai served them snacks and drinks.
Of the bunch, Kaien looked the most beat up, as he had spent most of his time being angry and doing his best to wipe out the Hollow presence in the city around them.
....
The only reason Shinji and Rōjūrō were here was that the Head Captain had commanded their presence, and both of them knew that this wasn't the time to play technicalities with the old man. The reason they were glaring at Kisuke was that they knew for certain that he wouldn't, nor would the Gotei 13, agree to ransom the Hōgyoku for a Third Seat.
Of course, as Captains, they were well aware of the impractical value of a simple Third Seat compared to the Hōgyoku, and while they fully agreed with the obvious choice of keeping the damned thing as far away from Aizen as possible, Miyako was their comrade—a core member of their misshapen group, especially after Kensei's and Love's deaths.
Kisuke was the only viable target for their hate, and so that's what they directed at him. But that didn't mean they were blind to what was truly important.
"When are we doing the damn thing?" Rōjūrō asked in a hoarse voice. "The Gotei 13 has been more content with letting Aizen run free all these years. Do they still want to idle away their precious time?"
His words were directed at the Captains—Itachi, Isshin, and Byakuya—of whom only the latter reacted.
As much as he held the composure of a noble and a Captain, Byakuya was still at the height of his youth. Any insult to the Gotei was something he took a little personally.
"I understand your grief, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, but it will do you good to understand that the Gotei wasn't lax in their efforts to apprehend the traitor, Aizen." Unlike you, was left unsaid.
Ōtoribashi, however, wasn't so gullible as to let the intent pass unprovoked. "Mind finishing those words, Captain Kuchiki?"
Byakuya glanced at Rōjūrō from the corner of his eye and slowly closed them, wisely not rising to Rōjūrō's provocations, which he might have unintentionally started.
"The longer we spend bickering here, the more breathing space Aizen gets," Kisuke reminded, to which Shinji scoffed.
"Yeah, and to whom do we owe that displeasure?"
Kisuke, taking a page out of Byakuya's book, wisely kept his mouth shut when it became clear that the two distraught Captains were just looking for a way to vent and clear their minds.
It was now up to Isshin to clear the metaphorical table to prevent future instances of unwarranted provocations, as it was clear that the more calm-headed ones were more than content to sit this out.
"We can't just barge into Hueco Mundo to attack Aizen. We'll be surrounded by Hollows on every side, especially when we don't know the extent of Aizen's influence over the Hollows—"
"In other words, we're just sitting around doing jackshit? Of course, you can't expect anything different when it comes to the Shinigami," Shinji scoffed sarcastically. At this point, it was clear that he was only interested in getting under their skin.
Byakuya opened his mouth and spoke. "It is obvious he wants us in Hueco Mundo, and there's also the chance that he'll attack the World of the Living for Urahara's Hōgyoku. We'll be walking willingly into a trap either way."
As Kisuke opened his mouth to speak, Tessai's voice came from afar.
"The Head Captain is on."
They each wore a degree of seriousness as they stood before the big screen featuring Yamamoto and the rest of the Captains.
"Why is everyone looking grim?" Isshin asked as he saw the somber expressions on the other side of the screen.
Yamamoto moved forward a little, hunched back with his haori covering most of his frame, as he delivered the news.
"Central 46 just confirmed that Aizen stole two Sacred Relics: one from the Kasumioji and one from the Tsunayashiro Noble Family. As for his use of them, at this point, we are not too sure."
Kisuke, Yoruichi, and Isshin's eyes contracted to pinpricks as they heard the news. They had thought the rebellion-disguised-theft was successfully repelled, but it turned out not to be the case.
"What are we to do now, Head Captain?" Byakuya asked.
The Head Captain looked at Mayuri, the latter taking that as his cue and giving them the outline of a two-way plan.
"We'll isolate both our Shinigami and Aizen's Espada in both realms. He'll definitely come for the Hōgyoku, and since he can somehow track it, it'll be best if Kisuke Urahara is left out of the Hueco Mundo expedition."
"Oh? I didn't know you cared for me this much, Mayuri?" He gave the painted man a sly smirk. "I care too."
Mayuri glared hatefully at him but unfortunately couldn't say anything, as he could feel the Head Captain's growing displeasure.
"Our priority targets are Aizen and the entirety of his Espada—"
Mayuri glared at Shinji as he was rudely cut off from his explanation. "How do we track them in Hueco Mundo?"
Kisuke raised his hand, his eyes glinting smugly as he covered his mouth with a fan. "This humble shopkeeper has taken it upon himself to solve that particular problem."
The look Byakuya gave Kisuke made it clear that he was no fan of the man nor his antics.
Before anyone else could say anything, Yamamoto's voice came again.
"Urahara, the only reason the Hōgyoku is still in your hands is that it is the only thing that will draw Aizen out. Am I understood?"
After this, you'll be relinquishing it to the Gotei 13 to be kept under lock and seal, was the meaning of Yamamoto's words, and Kisuke understood it very well.
"Crystal."
Yamamoto nodded. "As for the Captains who will be joining Captain Uchiha in Hueco Mundo: Captain Unohana, Captain Zaraki, and Captain Kuchiki."
The other Captains who were going to fight outside of Hueco Mundo couldn't help but worry about the World of the Living and the destruction they could very well unleash across it, as there would be no seal holding them back. However, their worries were unfounded, as Kisuke revealed a secret project that he had recently recruited Mayuri into.
"We've placed keys in a thousand-kilometer radius around this town that'll instantly suck anything that steps into it into a separate space fixed in the Dangai." His words were filled with unrestrained mirth as he earned skeptical looks from the other Captains.
The one to voice their skepticism was Shinji, who looked visibly unsettled by Kisuke's words. "And what are we going to do about the Kōtotsu?"
Kisuke, however, casually waved off his concerns. "Don't worry, it won't find our little hideout."
They hashed out the little details before the communication was cut off.
With four Captains going to Hueco Mundo—which seemed a bit inadequate, since they were also sending their primary healer to the heart of the enemy camp—that left ten Captain-level individuals on standby: six staying in the World of the Living and four remaining in the Soul Society.
"You better keep that thing close to you, Kisuke," Rōjūrō said as they readied themselves for the impending battle.
Kisuke replied solemnly, "Trust me, I will—"
He stopped speaking abruptly, confusing Rōjūrō, and looked around the room, his eyes slowly widening in horror.
Slowly catching on, the other Captains became alert upon seeing Kisuke's falling expression.
"Kisuke, what's happening?" Yoruichi asked cautiously.
His eyes snapped to her at the same time Itachi's did, and then to the person behind her.
"TESSAI!!"
Yoruichi hardly turned around before a hand speared into her gut and viciously drew something out, her face growing horrifyingly pale as she witnessed what her friend, Tessai Tsukabishi, had just done.
"HADŌ #90: KUROHITSUGI."
In a haze of desperation, as a dark coffin of warping space grew around Yoruichi, a skeletal arm wrapped around her and slowly summoned what looked like a shield before the coffin completely swallowed her.
Tessai was already gone by the time the coffin was completed—
"AIZEN!!!"
Sometimes, a mocking lie was preferable to a cold truth.
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