"Kisuke!" Kuchiki Aoba ran over and hugged Kisuke Urahara.
"What are you doing here?" Urahara's voice held a trace of helplessness.
"Captain Aizen helped me!" Aoba looked relieved. "My brother found out about us and grounded me..."
"If Captain Aizen hadn't helped, I never would have gotten out!"
Aoba had been grounded after Sōjun caught her. But with Aizen's help, she escaped easily.
"What a headache..." Urahara sighed, looking at Aizen. "Captain Aizen, the wanted order from Squad 6... it's fake, isn't it?"
Urahara was smart. Even though this happened fast, he saw the flaws.
He had considered all the possibilities on his way here.
Now, seeing Aizen, he was almost certain tonight was a trap Aizen had set.
"You figured it out, Urahara? The Professor once said you were one of the smartest people in Soul Society. It seems he was right." Aizen smiled and didn't deny it.
"The Captain thinks that highly of me?" Urahara scratched his head. "It's just... Aoba and I had an agreement. She would never tell."
"The Kuchiki family shouldn't have found out this fast."
Urahara understood Aoba's personality. He knew he was important to her. She wouldn't betray him unless their relationship fell apart.
"I don't get it... How did Captain Aizen find out?" Urahara scratched his face. "Did the shielding fail?"
He couldn't figure out how he was exposed. He thought the surveillance-blocking item had failed.
Before this, he was confident he wouldn't be caught.
Urahara never acted recklessly.
The Kuchiki clan wasn't researching the 'Soul King fragments', just sealing them. This meant they were unlikely to notice the fragments had been tampered with.
That's why Urahara had Aoba swap the real 'Soul King fragments' with fakes.
Unless Aoba betrayed him, the Kuchiki clan would never know.
He only took the risk because the chance of being caught was so low.
But now, Aizen had apparently seen through his trick and knew his secret.
"That's a mystery you'll have to solve yourself, Urahara."
Aizen chuckled. He looked forward to Urahara finding the truth.
"You look so sure of yourself. It's annoying."
Urahara suddenly drew his sword. A red light shot through Aizen's body and hit the empty ground behind him.
"An illusion..." Urahara's face darkened. He remembered Aizen's Zanpakutō could create illusions.
"The Squad 6 wanted order is fake for now," Aizen smiled. "But just a moment ago, 'Kisuke Urahara' snuck into the Kuchiki vault, stole treasure, and ran off with the young lady."
"The pursuit squad should be here soon, don't you think?"
"You framed me for all that? I've never done anything to you!" Urahara's face turned black.
If what Aizen said was true, the wanted order was about to become very real!
"I wouldn't feel safe leaving you in Soul Society." Aizen looked sad. "The squad is coming. It's time to say goodbye."
Aizen recognized Urahara's talent. He saw him as a threat and used the Kuchiki situation to force him out of Soul Society.
After speaking, Aizen's form faded and disappeared.
"This is just my luck..." Urahara sighed.
He looked at Aoba and froze.
She seemed completely unaware of what Aizen just said.
"What did Captain Aizen just say?" Urahara asked.
"What? He said he wouldn't bother us and left!" Aoba didn't get it. "Captain Aizen is such a nice person!"
"Only I could hear what Aizen's illusion said?" Urahara frowned and took a device from his robe.
"Why isn't it on!"
Urahara's face fell.
He was sure he had activated this recording device to get evidence against Aizen.
But the device wasn't on. He had no evidence!
"How did he do that!"
Urahara had no time to think. He sensed a large-scale Spiritual Pressure fluctuation heading their way.
"Put this on, quick! The Squad 6 pursuit squad is coming!" Urahara took an invisibility cloak from his Reishi pocket and gave it to Aoba.
He had no choice but to leave Soul Society. After all, he really did steal the Kuchiki's 'Soul King fragments'!
Aoba didn't understand, but she put on the cloak.
Urahara pulled her toward his lab in Rukongai.
The lab's defenses weren't triggered, but his gut told him Aizen had already taken the Hōgyoku.
He had to check the lab before leaving Soul Society. He might not get another chance.
"That's what happened... I got you involved. I can't stay. If you stay, you'll be in danger too."
Urahara explained the situation as they ran.
"Captain Aizen did something so horrible... and I thought he was a good person! I can explain everything to my brother!"
Aoba thought her brother would believe her.
"It's useless. Since Aizen used you in his trap, he must have a way to counter you."
"I'm not sure, but I think he has a way to mess with perception."
"Until we crack it, people will only see what Aizen wants them to see."
Urahara sighed. He wasn't as optimistic as Aoba.
Aizen wouldn't use her if he couldn't control her.
Besides, they did steal the 'Soul King fragments'. Aoba would be punished by her clan, but she'd live.
Urahara was different. An outsider stealing from the Kuchiki clan... the lightest sentence would be Muken. He might even be executed.
So Urahara had no choice. He had to leave Soul Society and lay low.
"Then I'm going with you! Wherever you go, I'll go!" Aoba realized how serious it was and chose to stick with him.
"Okay. I plan to go to the World of the Living. But we have to go somewhere else first." Urahara nodded.
Urahara chose the World of the Living. Central 46 had a rule that Shinigami had to use Spiritual Pressure limiters there to avoid damaging the real world.
This was great news for Urahara.
They rushed. Aoba was much slower, so he had to slow down. Luckily, their cloaks blocked perception, so the pursuit squad didn't catch them.
After a long time, they reached the dead grove.
Urahara checked the Reishi spells outside. None had been triggered.
After checking, he entered the lab.
"He really took it... but left no trace. How did he find this place!" Urahara's face was grim. The Hōgyoku was gone. All his work was wasted.
Urahara looked at the two incubation tanks. Aizen hadn't taken the embryos.
Without the Hōgyoku, making more embryos would be hard. He put the two incubation tanks into his Reishi pocket to take with him.
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