until i see you again | urayoru

iii

Everything happened so quickly, Yoruichi wasn't entirely sure it was real. One minute she was discussing Rukia's options with Ukitake in his office, the next she was yet again standing to attention in an emergency meeting with her fellow Captains. And if Rukia's execution had been a surprise announcement, nothing could have prepared them for Yamamoto's latest declaration.

"But how did four ryoka even get in to the Seireitei?" Kyoraku pondered, stroking his chin languidly, as if he was thinking about what drink to order at the bar instead of how a group of teenagers had broken into the most heavily guarded place in the Soul Society.

Thirteen heads turned to face Mayuri, who shrugged. "My squad are looking into it, but no hell butterflies were absent. By all means, they should not have made it through. However, if one of them has intel on the Seireitei and equipment in their world to open a senkaimon, it stands to reason they may have been able to enter the Soul Society without us realising."

"Quite a flaw in the system, if you don't mind me saying," Aizen noted, briefly pulling their peers' attention away from Mayuri.

The Research and Development Captain shot him a glare. "Entrance to the Soul Society should not be possible without a hell butterfly. I have not yet figured out how this was possible, but I will."

"So you're saying there's someone out there smarter than you, who has the information on the Soul Society and the means of sneaking people in under the radar," Ukitake frowned. Mayuri's eye twitched.

"That is not what I said-"

"Gotta say though, none of these kids seem to know what they're doing," Kyoraku interrupted. "They're strong, I'll give them that, but they're running around the Seireitei like headless chickens-they don't know the layout of the place, I can't imagine any one of them could have opened a senkaimon. Besides, only one of them has a zanpakuto, and he's the one trying to cover most ground without having a clue where he's going."

Silence fell as the captains took in the implications of his words. "What are you saying, Shunsui?" Ukitake asked after a moment. Tension thickened in the air as the captains waited to see if they were all thinking the same thing.

"They had help, of course." Kyoraku let out a chuckle. "And I can only think of one man who meets your criteria, Jūshirō."

Yoruichi held her position, careful not to let any hint of relief show on her face as Kyoraku confirmed her own thoughts.

Kisuke.

He was alive. He was safe. He was in Karakura Town-and she bit back frustration which rolled in her gut, remembering the hours she'd spent searching the streets of that place; how had she missed him?

Almost more importantly, he was trying to help Rukia by sending these ryoka into the Seireitei.

Catching Ukitake's eye, Yoruichi gave the barest hint of a nod, small enough to be dismissed as a twitch by any stray gazes. Their plan would need to be tailored to fit the new situation, but one thing was for certain, she would help those kids by any means necessary.

| until i see you again |

Rukia looked so very small against the backdrop of the Senzaikyū. As Yoruichi landed on the bridge spanning the gap between the towers, the feel of strong reiatsu clashing drawing her there, she took in Rukia for the first time in weeks.

Landing next to Ukitake, hand poised above the sword resting on his hip, Yoruichi surveyed the scene, a body lying on the ground, with a member of Squad Four beside it, clearly frightened but not moving away from the injured person. Rukia had placed herself in front of the pair, but stood just behind a tall, orange haired boy, who Yoruichi had to assume was one of the ryoka. Rukia's eyes were glued to her brother's sword, scattering towards the boy in front of her and powerless to do anything about it.