Log; Complete

[1hatwonder.livejournal.com]

When; September 11
Rating; PG
Characters; Urahara Kisuke (1hatwonder), Aizen Sousuke (with_no_fear)
Summary; Neglecting to tell everyone, Urahara goes and meets Aizen to talk and perhaps reach an understanding of his actions.
Log;


It was a sunny morning when Urahara woke up, quietly got ready and slipped out the door. Yoruichi had already left to do her own thing, but he had left out what his plans were, well knowing what she'd say. One might as well avoid it, if it were possible!



The tea shop wasn't too far from the temple, but Urahara didn't mind the walk either way, as he hummed and twirled his cane around. Aizen Sousuke, the name rolled in his mind. It had been years and years since they last talked, and he indeed remembered the curiosity the younger shinigami had for various things. He chalked it up to the 'finer things in life', and foolishly, Urahara believed it at the time.



When he rounded the corner to the shop, he saw said figure sitting at a table outside, "You're early~!" He chirpped his greeting as he leaned against his cane and tipped his hat further shadowing his eyes. Indeed it had been a long time.



Aizen had detected Urahara Kisuke's reiatsu from some distance away, not as strongly as he would have had they been in their own world, but he had detected it and general direction well enough.



He'd arrived shortly before, sitting down at one of the outside tables and ordering tea to pass the wait for the other man. Urahara would not begrudge him tea at least, while waiting for his arrival, but he would never so rude as to order food before the other had even arrived.



"Only by a few minutes." He nodded his head as a return to the greeting, smiling in a pleasant sort of way. "I thought I should leave early in the event that I get delayed, being late after not having the pleasure of you company for so long would be impolite."



Pulling back a chair, Urahara slipped across from Aizen with a wide smile. "It's been so long, Sousuke~!" He folded his hands and studied him under the shade of his hat.



Before Urahara could say anything else, a waitress came over and set down a menu in front of him. "Oh~ Thank you, but I'll drink whatever my friend here is having. Surely it's good, yes?" He nodded his head towards the other man before asking for a few minutes to look over the menu for food.



Aizen looked almost the same as Urahara could remember - that friendly nature that everyone mistook to be true, the proper etiquette of someone seeming to come from a weathly family, everything that seemed all good and well, yet was often untrue since his betrayal to Soul Society. "Tell me, what have you been doing since arriving at this city? Your Arrancar seem to be keeping everyone busy, I've noticed. Do their actions speak for you as well?" A small smirk appeared on his face, hidden behind his hands.



"It has, Kisuke. Too long." Aizen did no more than glance at his own menu, picking something generic from the lists of food to tell the waitress when she would return to take their orders. "The tea here is good." Not excellent, but good. He would not insult the quality of the products in front of someone who would have even a slight hand in helping prepare it. Urahara would understand what he had meant though.





Urahara was the same as he'd ever been, slightly disheveled looking with an easy going air that threw off one's defenses. He wasn't too different from himself, in some respects, holding cunning and intelligence beneath the surface, that none would guess to look for. "I've been keeping to myself, mostly. A bit of light reading here and there, but nothing more." He stared into the murky liquid in his cup, skewed reflection staring back. "The Arrancar have been up to their own mischief, my only hand would be to suffer the complaints of those who cannot handle a few rebellious children."



"I did not realize you were also here." Not that it particularly interested him, who was here and who was not would make no difference in the end of things.



"I haven't been here too long, but apparently you were here before me, left, and now back again." Urahara swirled the cup in his hand, watching the liquid spin. Stopping the action abruptly, he watched as the waves dangerously lap at the size of the cup. "Your leaving... was that on your own accord? Have you figured out how to leave this city?" He was horribly curious to know the answer, for that has been what he's been searching for since arriving with no avail, yet he managed to hide both his failure and curiosity under such a lazy tone.



Before Aizen could answer, the waitress stopped by and inquired if they were ready. Urahara requested a sandwich and replied with such charm and a piercing gaze, the waitress stuttered as she asked Aizen his order, which was equally as simple.



With a smirk, Urahara couldn't help to notice the slight tension in the air between the two. It was expected, therefore he accepted it as if they were simplying playing a game a chess on a warm summer afternoon. He just hoped either he would win or they'd tie.




Once the waitress left, Aizen answered the other man's question, the same he'd been answering since his arrival. "This is my first visit to the City. I'm sure you've heard that the one before me was weak, died, and not very competent. Though, as for leaving this City, I have several ideas how one would achieve such a goal, but have not put any into practice just yet."



He took a sip of his tea, eyes watching the blond who sat opposite him. Urahara Kisuke, a brilliant mind the likes of which Soul Society and the world would probably never see again, and he couldn't find a way out. Perhaps he'd been looking at it too scientifically though, sometimes the correct answers were the simplest, but therefore overlooked.



Aizen knew that this was not simply about how one might escape the City. A touch might be that, but this was about what he was doing. Everyone from Soul Society, and the humans who knew of him, were all on edge to what his plans might be. Some had gone so far as to outright demand that he tell them what he was going to do.




They might not be happy, if they knew.



Weaker and not competent, did he say? Urahara scratched his chin in thought - it wasn't the first time he had thought about the ability to arrive here at different time lines. People even said he had been here before, but... "Interesting~!" He mused out loud, perhaps it was possible to come to the city at different points in one's lifetime and not remember it - he definitely didn't remember the city upon his arrival here.



Changing the topic, Urahara's gaze drifted back to Aizen's. "Are your ideals and goals the same as you last declared? I do hope you're not stretching the abilities of my invention, Sousuke~" He took a sip from the cup, "Because everything has its limits. How is it working for you, anyway? The Hougyoku?"



Although he didn't agree with the purpose Aizen had been using the Hougyoku for, he couldn't help his own creative curiosity for such a thing. It was a monumental moment in his scientific career, which costed him everything, yet its vast abilities? Urahara couldn't think of anything that could remotely compare it to. He was terribly curious, even though deep within himself, he knew he should've destroyed it.



"My stances have not changed since my departure from Soul Society not too long ago, Kisuke." Aizen answered easily, smiling all the while, the questions ones he could talk his way through far too simply. "As far as the Hougyoku's use is concerned, it preforms well enough, even under its restrictions. I'm sure it's capable of far more once it's awakened, but I've yet to test such a theory." He seemed almost uninterested, but still polite. "You've seen the only results of my uses." If he had attempted anything further with the Hougyoku he wasn't saying, or letting anything indicate that he had.



The waitress returned with their food, both thanking her before she walked off, emitting an air of pleasant conversation between two friends rather than anything remotely to the contrary.




"Has your research born anything else of interest since we last spoke? You always made such fun little toys, though often too complicated to be of much use to anyone beside yourself." He mused for a moment, as if recalling something. "Such as that doppelganger you used against Yami." The Decima had been livid over that fight with the Shinigami who now sat across from him.



A smirk flashed across his face at Aizen's comment, "Oh~ He liked it, didn't he? Yoruichi had fun playing with him." The memory of the angry Arrancar flashed through his mind at the fight, as well as the brief "discussion" between the two when Yami had first arrived in the city. They seemed to be all the same, the Arrancar, all quick to anger and more than willing to act upon that anger.



He took a bite of his food, savoring the rich taste on his tongue. Rumors were right - the food was pretty decent, but he still liked to cook for himself.



He looked thoughtfully at his food, "My resources here are limited, though, I've heard Mayuri-san has a lab. I've yet to really take a peek at it." He wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin, "But I've been working on some things here; my talent is not going to complete waste, Sousuke, as I'm sure you too are working on some things~"






"Not particularly," Aizen answered after swallowing the food he had been chewing. "I've been catching up on some reading. I'm going to have to make another trip to the library soon." He wasn't overly fond of the food here, and with as noisy as the City had a tendency to be, he did not like sitting out in the middle of all the constant activity. "As interesting as this place is, I see no use for it." This was not entirely true, but there was still the possibility that leaving would cause one to lose their memory of the time spent in this world. There was also the possibility that with the memory loss that time flow was different. Years here could be no more than moments in another world, or the other way around.

"Mayuri's lab must be quite impressive, considering how easily available nearly everything seems to be here." He took another bite, chewing over it thoughtfully. "I don't have much set up." He should expand to the next floor down soon, he was running out of room. "Just a small apartment to accommodate myself."



"Ah, yes, yes~ Small and quaint is good!" He too was lying, for he had an entire underground training facility just below the temple. Apparently it was an unspoken tradition of his and Yoruichi's to build one where ever they went.



"But your creations, you don't take any responsibility for their actions against the citizens? Are you saying that you have no ruling or say in their destructive habits?" If he denied it, then Urahara wasn't sure what to think of the man sitting across from him. In his eyes, to create something just to let them run around and not take responsibility... What are Aizen's true intentions with the Arrancar here?



There were so many questions Urahara had for Aizen, ranging from questions he'd ask about his intentions, to the prying questions of what capabilities he's unlocked with the Hougyoku that Urahara had not been able to, in fear of what it's full potential was capable of.



"The Arrancar are disruptive children, nothing more than that." Aizen really had no care for what they did in this City, people here couldn't die, and this world had no affect on the one he and Urahara called their home. "When I arrived in the City they spoke of my being here before, and having only departed shortly before my arrival. It seems this impostor was quite the fool, falling in love and even going so far as to get himself killed. The Arrancar, understandably, chose not to follow this man but made the mistake of confusing him for me. When I arrived the ones who had been present choose to continue not to follow me."



Through his entire explanation he seemed calm, and, over all, bored. It didn't bother him that his creations had abandoned him. Each and every one of them could be replaced, and they would be. "I have no need for disloyal followers." He would not take responsibility for their actions either, they were intelligent beings, some more than others, and capable of monitoring their own behavior. "If the citizens of this City are unhappy with their actions they simply need to step up and put the disruptive one's back into their proper place. If they are incapable of doing so then they should not provoke the Arrancar."



"However, Kisuke," He offered a deceptively friendly smile, the same he'd been wearing for more years than he cared to count. "I believe that it may not be too much longer before they settle down once more. As independent as they try to be, they want someone to lead them." They respected him, and the stability he offered in their chaotic world, they would come back.



Urahara nodded and finished off his sandwich. "Very possible, they do respect you." He wiped his mouth and sat back. "And I see you have no concern of them perhaps truly betraying you. What would you do if that ever happened - merely destroy them?"




His smile grew wide, as if everything that came out of Aizen's mouth was just so amusing. He knew that Aizen was holding back in his answers, he wouldn't expect anything less, but he also knew how Aizen worked. Urahara knew under all the pleasantries and kindess that there was always vague meaning and hidden hints in his replies - one would just have to know how to decode them.



"Heh, and I imagine you're just sitting back watching us with amusement when we Shinigami get riled up... All an experiment, I suppose." Urahara leaned forward and laced his fingers together, eyes meeting Aizen's directly, "You're just going to play scientific method with us - come up with something, but not coming out and claiming it as your own, and test it for our reactions. Am I right, Sousuke?"



Appearing completely bored, Aizen picked up a spoon and idly stirred his tea. "Destroying them is a little unnecessary in a City where the dead are resurrected." With the distinct sound of heavy porcelain and metal, he tapped the excess liquid from the small spoon and set it back on the napkin. "I have no particular interest in riling up the Shinigami either, seeing as so far as I've observed no one will so much as remember this place once they leave if only by the evidence that a few I've seen returned have a blank memory." The true question was, could someone take items originating from the City into another world with them. After that it was a question of if one could only return to their original world or end up in another.



"I've been entertaining myself with readings I'm sure not to remember, and have paid little attention to the surrounding. I hope that you haven't been overly concerned with goings on here, that could prove wasted effort, and fatal from what I understand."



"Not too concerned, no..." Well, he was concerned about a couple things - mostly Kurosaki Ichigo and his irrational behavior - but overall, everything seemed to be decently calm. "Your children, as you call them, like to stir the most trouble and I've delt with that on occasion." His eyes roamed the quiet setting, and watched people inside the shop move about.



He is putting up a good front, Urahara noted, how Sousuke's calm and bored-looking demure could easily offput everyone. "You seem quite content here, Sousuke, but people sure get worked up over your presence. If all you've been doing is reading and drinking fine tea, why does everyone seem concerned? Do you think your past actions have caused this? Were you this calm and content in Hueco Mundo as well?"



It was a question Urahara already knew the answer to, yet the other man's unwillingness to share details is what Urahara is most curious about. Of course, both men by nature rather leave things open and vague. Perhaps both had pried as much as they would get with each other, there was no sense to create tension. Aizen had betrayed the Soul Society, yet Urahara had heard the same thing when his exile was announced, and it may be true that Urahara's so-called "greatest invention" was taken by this man, but what was the sense for demanding it back when it's abilities would be exposed eventually and he didn't have to get his own hands stained in the process?



They were alike in many ways, yet their intentions were clearly different from each other's and both, in their own way, seemed to respect that about each other.



"I'm quite comfortable here, save for the occasional demands for me to keep the Arrancar in line or to reveal whatever grand plan I must be concocting." He smirked a little, amused by the idea that everyone was so sure that he was up to no good, that the second he had stepped into this world he had had some sort of plan for it. "I would say it was the previous man claiming my name that has caused so much unrest. And yes, I was this same way in Hueco Mundo."



"I've done nothing since my arrival, and that is not apt to change." Honestly he was not going to sit idle forever, but to this point he was content with it. "I am aware that others have formed plans for their stay here, and I've no doubt that someone plans to move against me whether I take action or not."



After nodding in understanding, Urahara motioned for the waitress and asked for his check. "I'm afraid you'll be getting that everywhere you go, Sousuke. The shinigaimi aren't exactly the forgiving type." That was for sure, as he had yet to be able to even look in Soul Society since his exile. "You're a smart man, and I'm sure you've figured out as much as people say they love surprises, they truly don't. You did play quite the number, and your actions are rather questionable at times, I must say."



He placed a few coins of various color on the reciept, "However~ I must bid you adieu! The food was nice and the tea was good as you said, and the conversation's been lovely, but I have a few errands that must be done." His eyes met his with a mirthful gaze, "Next time, I must share some tea I've managed to find quite excellent - white blueberry! In return you can give me a book recommendation!"



Ending the conversation there seemed to be the right moment - Urahara got all the information he needed, although he knew he didn't cover his prying curiosity all too well. He didn't see a reason for it, as he knew Aizen would've been expecting it - why let him down? But just as he suspected, he was no immediate threat to anyone, but eventually would be.



Aizen stood, giving a slight nod to his head. "It was a pleasure seeing you again, Kisuke." He left his own form of currency for the waitress, dull copper coins. "I would enjoy trying that tea, and I will try and find a suitable book for your interests." He pushed in his chair, turning to leave before stopping and turning back to address Urahara one final time. "I would like to see what humble accommodations you've made for yourself at some point. Your decorating skills have always been of envy." Before there was a chance for his self invitation to be turned down he had walked off. He would not be so unkind as to not extend an invitation to his own apartment, but he knew that Urahara would understand that anyone in his domain was exactly where they did not wish to be.