"The Who doesn't matter, Yoruichi. We need to think several steps ahead. Even if we caught him now, there'd be absolutely no way to uncover the extent of the damage of his work. We need to do this the other way round.."
"You mean?" Yoruichi raised a brow.. "We need to take away his toys. That should force him out into the playground. And we'll be there to play with him.."
Kisuke snatched her cup of wine from her desk and gulped it in one go.
"Alright, what's the plan?" Yoruichi's eyes shone with anticipation. "Hueco Mundo.." Kisuke held up two fingers in front of Yoruichi whose face simply fell. "Are you crazy?! That's impossible! The Captain Commander would never agree to such a request!" Yoruichi facepalmed. Normally Kisuke's ideas were fun and all, but this was just madness.
"Too crazy even for you?!" Kisuke raised a brow. "Nope. Normally I'm all for crazy plans and stuff like that, but... The other Captains won't even waste time to listen to your proposal." She sighed in between her words.
"I know. Why do you think I came straight to you?" Kisuke facepalmed. "There's gotta be another way to do this, Kisuke. We can't just storm Hueco Mundo based on a whim. Even if we could, there'd be no easy way to access that world." She laid down the facts.
"What if I told you, I had a way into Hueco Mundo?" He laid down a secret. Kisuke nearly laughed at the surprise on Yoruichi's face. "Id believe you, but at the same time, I think it's impossible.." She shook her head..
"Hollow technology isn't as sophisticated as you think Yoruichi. All I need is some time to tweak things a little. I should be able to open a safe Garganta into Hueco Mundo.." He spoke with a large grin like an evil scientist.
"If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were some sort of madman, Kisuke.." A smile tethered at the edge of Yoruichi's lips. "I'm not that far off, I promise.." He chuckled.
"So what exactly are we looking for in Hueco Mundo?" Yoruichi asked, folding her arms to listen attentively
"You've seen the Hollows who have been infiltrating the Soul Society haven't you? They've been modified, stronger than they're supposed to be. Someone has shattered the biological and evolutionary barrier, allowing these Hollows to climb to levels of strength that were impossible before.." He sighed, clenching his fist.
"It really is the work of that ungodly device of yours. That's what this mission is about, isn't it?" Yoruichi's brows raised in suspicion. "I could never marry you, Yoruichi, you're too smart for me sometimes.." Kisuke deflated. "Are you sure you're not the one behind all this?" Her tone was flat.
"Nope. There's too much technology to tamper with. Besides, being a villain is too taxing. I'd rather be the mad scientist.." Kisuke rolled his eyes. Yoruichi sighed. That was his way of saying no.
"So what? Your plan is to infiltrate Hueco Mundo, find the base of the person responsible and then go on a full blown assault?" Yoruichi asked, frowning.
"Nope. Just infiltration should be enough.." He scratched his head. "Wait what? If this person's base is truly in Hueco Mundo, then shouldn't we take care of the problem once and for all?" Yoruichi was confused. "We'd be risking an all out war with Hueco Mundo. I don't think his roots are that deep in the Hollow World."
"But still!" Yoruichi interjected. "Nope. I'm not scared of Hueco Mundo, Yoruichi. Ammunition is what we don't lack the most. What we need is information. We need clues, we need to draw plans." Kisuke sighed.
"We need information, Yoruichi. He's using the Hollow infiltration to kidnap souls from the Rukongai. We need to know just what he is planning in order to deal with him. If he's as meticulous as I think, then a full blown assault would just end up serving his interests." They both paused for a moment.
"We need to notify the others. Tell them of our plan.." Yoruichi rose to her feet. "Should we? One of them could be the traitor for all I know.." Kisuke chuckled. "It's a bad day to become a rebel Kisuke. We need to at least inform the Captain Commander.." She fixed her Captain's robes and then poured the sweet wine in her goblet down her throat.
"I already did.." Kisuke laughed, and then pulled out a Hell's Butterfly from his robes.
-
Ist Division...
Captain's Assembly Hall..
The Captain Commander sat calmly on his seat, his cane resting calmly and casually tapping the floor as if in deep thought. Behind him, the elegant Liuetenant Sasakibe stood straight behind the Captain Commander, but even him with all his stoicism couldn't help but rub his forehead watching the current Captains of the great Gotei 13 bicker among themselves like children.
"Captain Urahara is right! This is our only chance to get the information we need some can come up with a plan and proceed forward. Right now, we're all just stuck!"
Yoruichi's voice was raised higher than usual. She had to make her point. The last few years had been spent getting caught off guard by Hollows attacks and sudden disappearances. They barely had any opportunities to counter whatever was going on.
"I agree with Captain Yoruichi. But leading an infiltration straight into Hueco Mundo should be our last and final card. We can't just barge into an entire realm on whims!" Captain Shinji with the long golden hair and bowl cut voiced out his opinion. To him, Yoruichi was right, but her means off getting the job done was what he couldn't come to terms with.
"We are on our last dregs. This is our only choice. Either we take this risk and find out what really is happening or we just wait until all of us disappear one after the other.." Yoruichi chipped in with a snarl.
"So you're suggesting we just barge into Hueco Mundo. Risk an all out war with the Hollows. All because you think the source of the disappearances might be connected to the Hollow world. Forgive me if I think too little of this elaborate plan of yours, Captain Urahara.. " Captain Rojuro Otoribashi whipped his hair back with a click of his tongue. But his stance was clear.
"The plan has it's demerits, but I gotta agree with Captain Yoruichi. The past three years have been spent passively reacting to the Hollow attacks and disappearances. If this is a breakthrough, then we need to proceed with everything we've got."
Ukitake stepped in. His Division had lost over a dozen Shinigami in the past few months. Something was happening. If this was the only way to figure it out, then so be it.
"I gotta agree. At the very least, she's not asking that we just storm Hueco Mundo and start tearing the whole place down. In that case I'm all for it.." Shunsui sounded exhausted and tipsy, yet he voiced out his opinion perfectly.
"Boring!! Why waste time trying to infiltrate when we can just barge in and take what we want?! Who'll stop us!!" Kenpachi Zaraki's words caused everyone present to facepalm.
"I gotta hand it to Yoruichi. This may be our chance to put an end to this once and for all. The Rukongai is in a state of mourning. Countless innocent souls have lost their lives either through the Hollow attacks or the mysterious disappearances. If this is our only way, then we have to give it all we got" Isshin came in passionately. His words although causing some of the Captains present to roll their eyes.
" Great. Let's infiltrate Hueco Mundo and risk a world destroying war because some souls from slums have lost their lives... " Ginrei chipped in. His insensitivity towards the casualties causes everyone to turn towards him with a gaze.
"Captain Urahara. Since you have suggested this you surely have thought of a way into Hueco Mundo am I right?" Finally, the Captain Commander's cane fell and his voice followed. His gaze turning towards Kisuke who had been silently observing everyone during the banter.
"Naturally Captain Commander. I just need a little time to design a prototype and I should be able to open a Garganta back into Hueco Mundo." Kisuke's words caused everyone to stare at him strangely. Even the Captain Commander's haze towards him was a bit unnatural, but he simply shrugged.
"I see. Take us through your plan then." Old man Yamamoto gave him the green light to take the stage. " Someone is using the Hollow attacks as a smoke screen to kidnap souls for some devious purpose. To do this, he needs a Hollow army. I can't think of any place to get a Hollow army other than Hueco Mundo itself. The plan is simple. Infiltrate Hueco Mundo, gather as much intel as possible and get out without being compromised.."
He wrapped up quickly. The plan was simple. Effective. Not too detailed and complex to understand. Someone just needed to enter Hueco Mundo, and find out what this person was up to. Easier said than done but still easy nonetheless.
"I see. What exactly is required from the person or people eligible to embark on this mission.." The Captain Commander Yamamoto asked.
"Good question. But my answer sort of rules out majority of the Captains present including myself. We don't need to organise a search party. Just one Shinigami experienced in infiltration, tracking, stealth and gathering intel should be enough." He shrugged and laid out the facts. He really didn't bother if the Captains agreed with him or not.
"So basically, we need a ghost." Love Aikawa finally broke his silence with a scoff. He wasn't really pleased by the fact that not even Captain Caliber Shinigami were eligible for the mission.
"Well, this looks like a mission for the Omnitsukido. Who better to take up this sort of mission than Captain Yoruichi herself.. " Captain Unohana chipped in, turning her gaze to Yoruichi for a moment.
"Not really, Captain Unohana. The reason why Kisuke and I ruled out Captain caliber Shinigami is because we are too recognizable. They'll see us coming from a mile away. Other than us, I can't think of any eligible Omnitsukido operatives with the skills to get us what we need.." Yoruichi thought for a moment and responded.
"Not even Liuetenant Soi Fon?" Shinji asked curiously. "No. Not even her." Yoruichi responded. Everyone simply stared at her. It was obvious she wanted to protect her precious Lieutenant.
"The purpose of getting a ghost is untraceability. Even if the mission is jeopardized we need someone who cannot be traced back to us." Her reason was valid. Even the skeptics had to agree.
"That rules out everyone then.." Jushiro's brows furrowed. "Not everyone. There is someone with these particular skillset that even eclipses mine. Not only that, his speed and agility makes him harder to trace or capture. Most importantly, this person isn't related to the Gotei 13 of any sort and is easily expendable.."
Yoruichi laid out a profile. She forced to hide the smirk on her face when she watched the reactions of some of the Captains who knew exactly what she was talking about.
A/N: Enjoy.