Between Heaven and Hell [Kisuke, Yoruichi]

She couldn't help but sigh when she sensed him off in the distance. He was out on the roof, and some small part of her could have scoffed at what a place that was for their rendezvous, not that she supposed she could much fault the man his eccentricities. It was charming in a way, and aggravating in others. But alas that contemplative calm was gently slit with the woman's presence that came suddenly as an unwanted thought, her spiritual pressure entirely suppressed. A shunpo that placed her not a few meters from the man that had only just snapped back to the reality around him. So quickly in fact that he might have wondered how long she'd been standing there, a timing that was entirely unintentional on her part.

"Not a bad night out. Almost makes me wonder if you planned this out. I really should stop letting you pick the days for these." An idle observation made as Yoruichi watched the man with perhaps the most neutral expression she could muster. But of course Kisuke would know the look well. She was feeling a lot of things in the moment. Some of her was not a fan of meeting him again, after all why wouldn't she be anxious? A vague notice before she'd sped off to worlds unknown after perhaps the longest stretch of lacking any real meaningful interaction that she could remember. Another sliver of self was happy to see the man she'd more or less avoided for quite some time now, a face she'd thought of when she was trapped in that shithole of a realm, and a semblance of familiarity that made her somewhat nostalgic in meeting him up like this. Her own ....foray into the soul society had been similar, but it had lacked the .....meetup and debriefing that used to always follow such endeavors: where she would tell him about everything that had happened and he would start his process anew in figuring out where to go from there.

And still another part of her, even amongst all these serious undertones, really just wanted to bully him. Not maliciously, not even really for direct amusement, but simply because it was an instinct that roused within her, a sort of playful competitive urge that drove her to pit herself in whatever small ways she could against the man. In their younger years it had served well to drive her to not fall behind the man, in later years it ..... was thew sort of emotional hostility that somehow made her feel closer to him. It was the sort of ...taunting personality that had led her to show up in a dress shirt and slacks, nothing......special... but just some of her living world clothes she knew he liked, but nothing that really said she was pandering to him. A sentiment of belonging to the world of the living, even if perhaps these days her ...attentions lay with the spiritual world more than it once had. But well, she was never the kind of girl to let herself get TOO anchored to that place. Even now she subliminally conveyed that fact.

"So, do you want the fucked up news or the REALLY fucked up news that you probably already know?"

Yoruichi folded her arms, more or less having expected the man to say as much. he was never the kind of man to just go right into something, she sighed, a hint of irritation in her expression as she took a moment to look him over, her head canting to the side before her brow twitched. " I would have come to you earlier, but I had .... something to deal with first. I'm sure you know about the funeral." She noted quietly, an event that big Urahara didn't even have tobe himself to know about Yuushirou's death. The loss of her brother had been..... she wasn't sure how to describe it. But all the same, she sighed, reaching up and rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I told you I was leaving, after the Demon Incursion in Soul Society. I think you knew what I wanted to do, but I had a feeling you wouldn't know where it was I went to do it." She noted, hunting down the traitors and enemies and those who simply seemed to have vanished. A whole lot of shit Soul Society wasn't in a position to do.

"It led me a few unexpected places. Demon World for one. And for another..." She strode toward the man and reached out. Seeking to grasp his hand in her own. This was something she wouldn't utter in a setting like this. even if they felt alone. No, THIS, she chose to convey in another manner. Once she had a hold of his hand, she allowed the smallest amount of her spiritual pressure to course into his palm. Not releasing it, letting nobody but him feel it. And the sensation would be completely unfamiliar, and yet distinct and recognizable. In that moment, Kisuke wouldn't feel the spiritual presure he'd come to know, but an energy that'd make the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly prickle. The spiritual pressure of a Kushanāda. Which would immediately make it apparent where she'd been.

She'd let her hand release his and let it fall to her side as she gave him a moment to absorb the information. No doubt some part of him had imagined that to be a possibility, but she wondered if he'd be surprised none the less.

"The key I used to go there stopped working once I was there. Things are..... not great. The world wars meant a lot of visitors. A LOT. The place was practically falling apart." She murmured, continuing to be vague incase they were being watched or listened to. "I had to get ....creative in getting it to consider me something that was on the list for going in and out." She explained, an irritated smirk showing on her face. "Took me three and a half years to do it, but I sure fuckin DID it, all on my own." She noted with no small ammount of pride in her voice, but also that little irrate hint that she knew exactly the thought that would have passed through his head: That if she'd told him he could have solved that particular issue. And that visible agitation would make it clear she was aware of that.

All the same.... she sighed, forcing herself to relax. "So that's the short and sweet of it. What about you? Any new developments to share?"

She couldn't really make any ....response to his idle comment. A brief twist of disapproval briefly on her expression, something that almost a resembled 'is that all you have to say?'. It was a kneejerk reaction, and in her heart of hearts she KNEW very well that this wasn't a subject Kisuke was good at. He wasn't the kind of man who could say inspiring farewells or moving eulogies. Honestly his lacking tendency to such things was something she liked in any other circumstance, but just this once she wished he could have stepped up to the plate. Said something a bit more.....meaningful. Which was stupid of her, but that didn't stop that brief sentiment to course through her in that instant.

She moved on from the subject.

Yoruichi raised a brow slightly when she noticed that little shift in him, and she would have been ....... concerned if she were aware that he considered it a moment of intimacy rather than just a practical means of conveying the information she intended to. She would have found it cute. Annoying. Amusing. Maybe a little depressing. But all the same, she remained unaware of this interpretation. All the same, she DID smile a little in that shocked expression of his. "I don't know about found, it's more about what I didn't find, and then spent three and a half years ripping my way through. But tomato tomahto." She murmured, folding her arms across her chest and sighing, giving a SHARP little snap of her knuckles to the center of his chest, a little backhanded tap, a playful little tap if nothing else as an ANNOYED grin showed up across her face, not real genuine annoyance, but that sort of 'why I aughta' look she was so good at. "Not even going to act a LITTLE impressed? Fighting my way through THAT place not even getting a little joke out of you?" She growled at him, shaking her head before sighing.

And then she paused. At first she thought they were two separate statements, and then she looked around, narrowing her eyes. And she could FEEL it. Little traces of the woman's spirit energy in the area and her eyes went WIDE. Her attention then snapped to Kisuke for an instant, instantl confusion before she was suddenly smiling. "Thats.....actually great! I would never say it to her directly but .... well I'm a little glad she wound up down here.... what with everything happening in soul society." She chose her words carefully. The actuality was she never thought that Sui Feng was the type of woman .....not who was suited for but ..... who would be able to conform the ways that soul society had. The moment that Aizen had slaughtered Central 46 and the Gotei had begun its changes from it's old ways, she'd been a little concerned with just where that change would go, and how Sui would manage such a change. And, true enough, it eventually had proven to be too much. The notion that the woman had retired from ANYTHING but her just not being fond of the position didn't even cross her mind. No way would she ACTUALLY retire normally, or even worse: allow some injury to take her off the front lines. She was squarely sure Sui would have stayed in that job until she'd died so long as it was a position she felt comfortable with.


She paused, realizing she'd been staring off into space for a few seconds now. A glance in Kisuke's direction before a sly smirk showed. "So, you wound up stealing her from the Gotei huh? Gotta say I didn't think you the type to go poaching. Still that's good news. Even if she does hate the very air in your lungs, I look forward to seeing her again. Speaking of..." She leaned in, prodding his chest. "How long do you plan on being all tensed up? Do you got something you wanna say?" She asked directly. Already she was noticeably relaxing even just as the seconds ticked by. For all of the ...complications in their life, she enjoyed being around Kisuke, even if one particular facet of their relationship with eachother had exploded in their faces, she found it surprisingly easy to just settle back into how things used to be.

She noticed the slight reaction from the man, or at the very least, that he seemed to notice her little microexpression. All the same, she snlorted just a little in response to his claim. "Travel wasn't the issue, it was the fuckin barrier." She murmured, not really reopening the topic so much as she was just muttering to get the last word ion on the subject. It wasn't like she wanted to get into specifics out in the open like this. She'd have to resign herself to them talking about it later in more private spaces for the time being.

She DID however, raise a brow slightly as he responded to her little jab about stealing soi. A snort escaping her before she grinned, showing a bit of teeth. "You best hope she doesn't hear you say that." She teased, though honestly she would wonder if Soi would even care after all these years. Hell, she seemed docile enought o hang out regularly with Urahara. Though the next subject did cut her off in speaking more to that subject. By way of ..... bringing up a surprising subject that honestly she didn't think he WOULD ask about directly. Namely their....little haitus. Especially since she ....well her still being gone for a while in order to grieve was reasonable, but she supposed she still had things to answer for in a way. Especially given the beat they'd parted on. She gave him a slow, steady peer, as if trying to determine what she wanted to say, and HOW she wanted to say, it. But...finally, she just threw up her arms and shrugged.

"Eh, whatever you want honestly. It kinda seems like ya don't need me as your assistant with Soy Bee to help ya." She noted, folding her arms and sticking her tongue out in a slight blep for half a second. "I ...... don't really think we can walk it back....by the full century." She said....her voice suddenly growing......softer. 100 years ago, just about before when ....she had been born. "Not.... not right now. Maybe not ever. To say we got reckless is an understatement, But...." Her face twisted, making an .....irritated sortof twist that might surprise Urahara. It was the kind of face she made when she had to suppress the urge to just change subjects. A rather rare face when she had to ACTIVELY keep her mood from swinging and focus on a subject. She wanted nothing more than to just start talking about something else. But this was a conversation that was a long time coming.

"I'm tired, I'm angry, I spent a lot of time caving faces and chest cavities in these last couple years, and it's reminded me of a lot of ......other stuff. Lots of old..... hobbies. Not ONLY that, but I come back to find ....somethings ..... just not right. I can't put my finger on it, but SOMETHING feels wrong about the way things are. Like....it ....seems like something else, a deja vu, but a deja vu that reminds me of something bad about to happen." She sighed, that irritated look finally passing as she relaxed, her shoulders slumping,a hand resting on her hip as she let the other reach up to rub at her eyelids. "But.... even if I don't wanna rewind into that ....swing we had going on before. That doesn't mean I don't wanna be around here, around you. We work well together. And as annoying as you can be at times, you're annoying in a fun way, and other times you're just fun in general." The surprises would just keep coming, as Urahara would find himself getting responses far more direct and un-roundabout than he'd probably gotten in the last chunk of their llifetimes. She was honestly even surprising herself at just how ....she didn't have the energy to mess around with him, that she actually wanted this discussion out of the way.

"I think we had it right when we were in soul society, before we started mixing up the formula. At least for now. Maybe we'll figure stuff out later. Maybe we will just ...FIND other people anyway." She had to admit, she always did get the feeling Urahara and Sui were just one hatfuck away from something, but then again Sui had a LOT of hatreds and so that wasn't super unique. But still, there were actually a couple different women she felt he might do well with. And also Hisagi, but maybe that was just the shipper in her.

"But hey, if you still need to be away from me that's fine too. I WILL be coming to visit Sui. Can't really slide that one. But I can give you space in general if ya need it." She conceded calmly enough. She hardly expected to just roll in and roll into how things used to be. They'd been doing that shit back and forth for the last couple centuries and it had finally bit them in the ass, so she understood if he wanted to slow the rock of the boat so to speak.

Yoruichi raised a brow slightly at that before a chuckle escaped her, clearly amused by the little concession by Urahara and ....intrigued about the whole brighter path. Hm. She supposed it was interesting to have the woman in a less.....murder-focused occupation. The notion that it was any sort of jab to her didn't even cross her mind, well not seriously, she DID consider pretending to take it that way though.

That said, she did raise a brow, her expression flattening to an irritated look. Not necessarily at him, just disgruntled by the slight amount of cringe and self loathing that was the fact that he was right. Despite both of them being fairly intelligent people, they had the interpersonal .....intellect of a bowl of rice. Sure, both of them could FEIGN that sort of thing, and Yoruichi's job had been revolving around such deception. However, when it came to earnest feelings the both of them had sortof allowed themselves to be swung right down the drain and into mistake city. BOY did she wish she could just blame it on him.

"I admit to no such thing, and anyone who says otherwise is a liar and a scoundrel." She could always try anyway. All the same, she leaned to the side, smiling just a little as she made note that Urahara was still the pragmatist she always knew. Sure they had fucked up a lot, but he still was willing to push that shit aside and get down to brass tacks. "I wouldn't be surprised if you ACTUALLY have some sort of Hoverwheel collecting dust in your workshop. BUT, that aside, I think you raise good points. And I'm more than willing to be a part of aforementioned Team. Speaking of, who else IS on that team? I understand you have enlisted the help of Sui, but who else is still around? You aren't still collaborating with that Don Kanonji are you?" She asked with a slight wrinkle of her nose and a smirk, trying to feign disdain but truth be told she'd always like the cut of that man's Jibb. He certainly was one of the least boring humans in the world of the living back in the day.