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Bleach, "And Become Giants" (Urahara/Yoruichi)
Urahara celebrates on the day that Yamamoto announces that his banishment has been lifted. Everything is going according to plan.
Contains Urahara/Yoruichi and many words -- villain exposition-style. Mildly evil AU that could so easily have been canon. Written for the![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fic_promptly prompt, "Urahara+any, musings on being the true villain and having it all go his way".
.and become giants.
It was deep in the night when the door slid shut, pulling Yoruichi from idle tinkering with one of the assorted gadgets he had left on the table. Her gaze flicked to the door, where Kisuke was toeing off his geta, shrouded in the darkness. Spending so long in her feline form made it easy to distinguish him even with as little light as there was.
She didn't say anything. This could be the moment when everything came together or they might yet be stuck here for the foreseeable future, and she waited expectantly for him to speak, to give her some indication of whether or not they had something to celebrate.
Kisuke padded toward the table and flipped open his fan triumphantly. "We're going home!" he sang, voice pitched low to keep from waking the others.
Yoruichi grinned widely, though she teased, "I'm supposed to be impressed? I could've gone home anytime I wanted."
"I know! You have been unfailingly generous to stay by my side, Yoruichi-san," he said, tugging her to her feet and then twirling her around. "I had nothing to offer you aside from my devastating handsomeness and incredible intellect with which to build you new toys, but you stayed with me!"
"Well, you have part of that right," she drawled, allowing herself to be twirled, wrapping her arms around his neck until he put her down again. She knew his moods well enough to know that there was no point in trying to settle him now; he would be irrepressibly cheerful and euphoric until he ceased being delighted by his own cleverness. She would simply have to endure his energetic enthusiasm and his playful banter, although in truth those moods were part of what had drawn her to him in the first place: the mystery of her subordinate's occasional bubbly happiness that swept her along making her wonder what was going on under that straw-colored hair of his.
Usually the answer to that question was that he was enjoying a convoluted plan gone perfectly. When she had finally coerced him into telling her his plans, she had never been bored again.
"I want to visit the Shinigami Research and Development Institute!" Kisuke's eyes lit up. "I'll have to see what everyone's working on. I'll tour the whole place, of course. Mayuri will hate it!"
That got a laugh out of her. "He could use the agitation," she assured him. She'd slipped in and out of Soul Society often enough over the decades, keeping track of things there so that Kisuke could adjust his plans as needed, to know how he'd gotten without Kisuke there to keep him under his iron control.
He said fondly, "And I'll go to the Maggot's Nest."
"No one has ever said that in that tone of voice in the history of Soul Society."
"And I would love to go back to our old training grounds... Relive some old memories... Like in the hot springs..." he said, giving her a hopeful puppy-dog look. She punched his arm, smirking.
"Yamamoto lifted your banishment without any conditions or anything?" she asked, trying to steer him back to the subject of the meeting that had put him in such a good mood.
"He was very pleased with the resolution of the incident with the Fullbringers." He grinned broadly. "Particularly with the way Kurosaki-san was able to regain his powers, thanks to my selfless assistance."
"You're a hero," she said, dry.
Kisuke finally relinquished his hold on her altogether, shifting to take his cane in both hands. Yoruichi flicked a glance at the hidden zanpakutou, unable to relax until he had finished inspecting it conscientiously and set it aside again.
"The Visored are already in place," he murmured. "Now I can return, and Kurosaki-san has his powers again and he can return."
"And you can get back to work."
Kisuke smiled at her, genuine, innocent pleasure lighting up his features in the darkness. For over a hundred years he had toiled in the human world, reduced to a physical form and forced to make do with the pitiful amounts of spiritual power that filled the air here. Even when he had relocated to Karakura Town for its high concentration of spirit energy, he had never managed to come close to the power that had once been within his hands, in that place where the very air was saturated with potential and there was no cage of flesh with needs and limits. That physical boundary was the ultimate punishment for someone who had dedicated himself to finding a way to surpass the boundaries that held him back.
He had plotted and planned and manipulated, and now -- finally -- he and those who would help him could return to Soul Society as saviors so that he could resume his experiments in peace.
"Will you go to see Aizen?" she asked, curiously.
Kisuke shook his head immediately. "He's caused me a nice bit of trouble and I'd love to show him the error of his ways, but I'm afraid that he is simply too dangerous -- I suspect that the Hougyoku has permitted him to absorb some of Kyouka Suigetsu's powers that he can use even without having her in his possession. He's best kept where he is for now."
Yoruichi made a noise, accepting that, but she was a little surprised. Kisuke had always been the type to needle his enemies constantly, insisting on talking to them about philosophy, his research, their interests, coming back again and again until they hated the sight of him. Mayuri was proof that his power to annoy was almost as intimidating as his raw ability. She would never have guessed that he would have accepted danger as a reason to stay away from his defeated rival.
"We have a great deal in common, he and I," he murmured. "He always found that very threatening, and it prevented us from coming to an understanding with each other." She could tell that he truly mourned it. Kisuke knew, as Aizen knew, what it was like to always be worlds away from everyone else. If things had been different, no doubt Kisuke would have happily welcomed his collaboration with the same sincere goodwill and total lack of trust that he had Mayuri's.
"It would be nice to be able to make him understand that the Soul King is irrelevant -- a lynchpin, the balance on which we all rest -- but he doesn't matter. He doesn't do anything. Not because he is failing at his job, but because that is his job. A giant holding a mountain in the air runs the risk of dropping the mountain if he tries to intervene in the lives of the people who reside there."
Kisuke lifted his gaze, and although Yoruichi knew that he shouldn't be able to see half as well as she did in the darkness, with the ease of long familiarity he unerringly sought one slim tome on the bookshelf. Wedged between meticulous accounts of the shop and the documentation that made Ururu and Jinta seem almost like real human children, that unimpressive hand-bound book represented centuries of Kisuke's research into modifications, enhancements, and evolutions.
"True power doesn't come from taking the role of another," he murmured. "From the beginning of time, species have risen and fallen by growing beyond their cookie-cutter beginnings. By becoming more than shinigami or Hollow or Quincy, we can become giants. He came so close, Yoruichi-san. He stole my research and saw it only as a means to a greater end, but it was everything he wanted."
Yoruichi tilted her head, watching him. After all the time they'd been together, she understood his moods and his ways, but she still didn't really know why he cared about the things he cared about. But he'd always been unusual -- unique and fascinating, drawing her in when he had nothing that she needed except a respite from boredom. She'd felt it ever since they were children and he had been the only one of her many playmates who had not been impressed with her title and her beauty, and instead had leaned in to ask her, as if sharing a secret, if she liked cats.
"Now that I have access to Soul Society, I'll be able to perfect my experiments," he said, brightening again. "Observing Kurosaki-san's growth has been extremely productive thus far! Once he masters his powers completely, I'll be in a prime position to make us all giants." He reached for her. "Captain-Commander Yamamoto will not like it, and I imagine the Royal Guard as well. But with the completed Visored at my side--"
"And the Onmitsukidou at your back," she finished, eyes lidding as she placed her hand in his.
Kisuke smiled at her, a veiled, appreciative smile that was different from his usual cheerful or goofy expressions; it was genuine, dangerous, and just for her. "Are you sure about that?"
"What's she going to do? Tell me no?" Yoruichi scoffed.
He laughed, reeling her in against his side. He leaned in to tell her confidentially, "Let's tear down this mountain."
Contains Urahara/Yoruichi and many words -- villain exposition-style. Mildly evil AU that could so easily have been canon. Written for the
fic_promptly prompt, "Urahara+any, musings on being the true villain and having it all go his way"..and become giants.
It was deep in the night when the door slid shut, pulling Yoruichi from idle tinkering with one of the assorted gadgets he had left on the table. Her gaze flicked to the door, where Kisuke was toeing off his geta, shrouded in the darkness. Spending so long in her feline form made it easy to distinguish him even with as little light as there was.
She didn't say anything. This could be the moment when everything came together or they might yet be stuck here for the foreseeable future, and she waited expectantly for him to speak, to give her some indication of whether or not they had something to celebrate.
Kisuke padded toward the table and flipped open his fan triumphantly. "We're going home!" he sang, voice pitched low to keep from waking the others.
Yoruichi grinned widely, though she teased, "I'm supposed to be impressed? I could've gone home anytime I wanted."
"I know! You have been unfailingly generous to stay by my side, Yoruichi-san," he said, tugging her to her feet and then twirling her around. "I had nothing to offer you aside from my devastating handsomeness and incredible intellect with which to build you new toys, but you stayed with me!"
"Well, you have part of that right," she drawled, allowing herself to be twirled, wrapping her arms around his neck until he put her down again. She knew his moods well enough to know that there was no point in trying to settle him now; he would be irrepressibly cheerful and euphoric until he ceased being delighted by his own cleverness. She would simply have to endure his energetic enthusiasm and his playful banter, although in truth those moods were part of what had drawn her to him in the first place: the mystery of her subordinate's occasional bubbly happiness that swept her along making her wonder what was going on under that straw-colored hair of his.
Usually the answer to that question was that he was enjoying a convoluted plan gone perfectly. When she had finally coerced him into telling her his plans, she had never been bored again.
"I want to visit the Shinigami Research and Development Institute!" Kisuke's eyes lit up. "I'll have to see what everyone's working on. I'll tour the whole place, of course. Mayuri will hate it!"
That got a laugh out of her. "He could use the agitation," she assured him. She'd slipped in and out of Soul Society often enough over the decades, keeping track of things there so that Kisuke could adjust his plans as needed, to know how he'd gotten without Kisuke there to keep him under his iron control.
He said fondly, "And I'll go to the Maggot's Nest."
"No one has ever said that in that tone of voice in the history of Soul Society."
"And I would love to go back to our old training grounds... Relive some old memories... Like in the hot springs..." he said, giving her a hopeful puppy-dog look. She punched his arm, smirking.
"Yamamoto lifted your banishment without any conditions or anything?" she asked, trying to steer him back to the subject of the meeting that had put him in such a good mood.
"He was very pleased with the resolution of the incident with the Fullbringers." He grinned broadly. "Particularly with the way Kurosaki-san was able to regain his powers, thanks to my selfless assistance."
"You're a hero," she said, dry.
Kisuke finally relinquished his hold on her altogether, shifting to take his cane in both hands. Yoruichi flicked a glance at the hidden zanpakutou, unable to relax until he had finished inspecting it conscientiously and set it aside again.
"The Visored are already in place," he murmured. "Now I can return, and Kurosaki-san has his powers again and he can return."
"And you can get back to work."
Kisuke smiled at her, genuine, innocent pleasure lighting up his features in the darkness. For over a hundred years he had toiled in the human world, reduced to a physical form and forced to make do with the pitiful amounts of spiritual power that filled the air here. Even when he had relocated to Karakura Town for its high concentration of spirit energy, he had never managed to come close to the power that had once been within his hands, in that place where the very air was saturated with potential and there was no cage of flesh with needs and limits. That physical boundary was the ultimate punishment for someone who had dedicated himself to finding a way to surpass the boundaries that held him back.
He had plotted and planned and manipulated, and now -- finally -- he and those who would help him could return to Soul Society as saviors so that he could resume his experiments in peace.
"Will you go to see Aizen?" she asked, curiously.
Kisuke shook his head immediately. "He's caused me a nice bit of trouble and I'd love to show him the error of his ways, but I'm afraid that he is simply too dangerous -- I suspect that the Hougyoku has permitted him to absorb some of Kyouka Suigetsu's powers that he can use even without having her in his possession. He's best kept where he is for now."
Yoruichi made a noise, accepting that, but she was a little surprised. Kisuke had always been the type to needle his enemies constantly, insisting on talking to them about philosophy, his research, their interests, coming back again and again until they hated the sight of him. Mayuri was proof that his power to annoy was almost as intimidating as his raw ability. She would never have guessed that he would have accepted danger as a reason to stay away from his defeated rival.
"We have a great deal in common, he and I," he murmured. "He always found that very threatening, and it prevented us from coming to an understanding with each other." She could tell that he truly mourned it. Kisuke knew, as Aizen knew, what it was like to always be worlds away from everyone else. If things had been different, no doubt Kisuke would have happily welcomed his collaboration with the same sincere goodwill and total lack of trust that he had Mayuri's.
"It would be nice to be able to make him understand that the Soul King is irrelevant -- a lynchpin, the balance on which we all rest -- but he doesn't matter. He doesn't do anything. Not because he is failing at his job, but because that is his job. A giant holding a mountain in the air runs the risk of dropping the mountain if he tries to intervene in the lives of the people who reside there."
Kisuke lifted his gaze, and although Yoruichi knew that he shouldn't be able to see half as well as she did in the darkness, with the ease of long familiarity he unerringly sought one slim tome on the bookshelf. Wedged between meticulous accounts of the shop and the documentation that made Ururu and Jinta seem almost like real human children, that unimpressive hand-bound book represented centuries of Kisuke's research into modifications, enhancements, and evolutions.
"True power doesn't come from taking the role of another," he murmured. "From the beginning of time, species have risen and fallen by growing beyond their cookie-cutter beginnings. By becoming more than shinigami or Hollow or Quincy, we can become giants. He came so close, Yoruichi-san. He stole my research and saw it only as a means to a greater end, but it was everything he wanted."
Yoruichi tilted her head, watching him. After all the time they'd been together, she understood his moods and his ways, but she still didn't really know why he cared about the things he cared about. But he'd always been unusual -- unique and fascinating, drawing her in when he had nothing that she needed except a respite from boredom. She'd felt it ever since they were children and he had been the only one of her many playmates who had not been impressed with her title and her beauty, and instead had leaned in to ask her, as if sharing a secret, if she liked cats.
"Now that I have access to Soul Society, I'll be able to perfect my experiments," he said, brightening again. "Observing Kurosaki-san's growth has been extremely productive thus far! Once he masters his powers completely, I'll be in a prime position to make us all giants." He reached for her. "Captain-Commander Yamamoto will not like it, and I imagine the Royal Guard as well. But with the completed Visored at my side--"
"And the Onmitsukidou at your back," she finished, eyes lidding as she placed her hand in his.
Kisuke smiled at her, a veiled, appreciative smile that was different from his usual cheerful or goofy expressions; it was genuine, dangerous, and just for her. "Are you sure about that?"
"What's she going to do? Tell me no?" Yoruichi scoffed.
He laughed, reeling her in against his side. He leaned in to tell her confidentially, "Let's tear down this mountain."