Forget The Rails: Arc 4: Chapter 3 Part 3

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As his two... companions processed his words, he idly focused his reiatsu around his missing eye and revelled in the slight pinpricks of his still-living connection to Huaco Mundo with the other side of that connection responding just as quickly to his slight relief.

Evidently even while dead, his followers still knew who their leader was which was more than can be said for the Quincy.

It was the smaller pleasures he could take in this life following his defeat, and though he couldn't truly feel any satisfaction in them, at the very least he knew he should've and that was more than enough.

"...You mean to tell me..." Kisuke's voice washed over, breaking his momentary lapse of focus. "That the Noble's founding members..." He ignored the man's slight, hesitating, gulp. "Were the previous rulers of Hell?"

He locked his sole eye on the man and gave the barest hint of a nod and watched the confusion that swept into his face.

"...Why do you know it?" He blinked at the question. An odd choice to be sure considering the more important one was how- "Forget about how you know it," Kisuke evidently could read minds. "I want to know why you do because there isn't a single piece of knowledge regarding any rulers of hell, nor their mention-"

He made to give the obvious cause for that particular problem- Only for Kisuke to shake his head.

"Look I am willing to accept a lot of things, trust me- I have no qualms with the impossible!" The man hesitated. "I... can accept the idea that the nobles were former rulers of hell, sure- Hell I'll accept the idea that the ones here are supposed to be the next Founders of Soul Society, sure-" Kisuke raised a finger at him. "I want to know why a hollow out of all things, somehow knows of it when not even the noble families themselves have an inkling to it!" The man took in a breath. "And before you tell me they buried it- Trust me when I say this, if there was an ounce of a chance at them losing their places, they would've never accepted it!"

He stared at the man, a plain expression on his own face. "Your question, Kisuke."

The man for a moment looked to have bit into a lemon. "..That's a secret worse than the Sin," He blinked at that. "For all the problems that Sin has caused... Trust me when I say that that secret, the words you're spouting..." Kisuke shook his head, a shiver to his form. "It wouldn't have made the light of day during the creation of the Three Realms, let alone... let alone now... And for all that Hollows have a different life experience, for all that time worked differently, there's no way in hell you're older than the founding nobles which means there's no way in hell you could possibly know such a thing." The blonde devolved into a slight hint of heavy breathing following his tirade, a shaking finger pointed towards him. "So you're either lying or... or..." The man let out another gulp, his eyes panicked as he stared at him.

What a strange, strange reaction.

He simply tilted his head at him. "Or?"

The man took in another deep breath, just as his companion having watched all of that with complete bafflement elected to join in. "...You ain' that old... So... how do you know about what happened way back when?" A beat passed as Squinty turned towards Kisuke's panic-stricken face. "And what da hell's got you so spooked?"

Ah.

He held in the urge to chuckle as the thought finally registered into his head.

"I am not the Soul King in disguise." He deadpanned.

The blonde blinked at that, his wariness still at an all-time high though his breathing slowly went back under control. "...So you're lying to us then?" He questioned, a frown etched onto his face.

"No." He shrugged. "I have no reason to lie to the likes of you."

"I see," Kisuke remarked with a slight hint of irritation. "Then tell us how you know, or we won't believe-"

"How many times do I gotta say it, I ain' involved one way or another!" The other shinigami cut the blonde off.

And was ignored by both of them.

In his case, he simply let out a sigh and leaned his head forward ever so slightly. "Truth is, Kisuke... I really could care less if you believed me or not." The man blinked at that. "You're not an important piece in all of this, your actions have no true lasting effect on the three realms destination." He narrowed his eye at him. "You are no more than a pawn in all of this, and you would do well to remember that." 

"...Oof." Squinty remarked at that, shaking his head. "Sucks to be us aye?" He deadpanned to the blonde.

Kisuke however just narrowed his eyes at him, a grim line on his face for a smile. "...A pawn can become any piece in the board."

"But never the King." He pointed out.

"And that's you I take it?" The blonde fired back, unrepentant.

"If I were, this would be a game to lose and you know it." He calmly stated though somewhat more bothered about the admittance than anything else.

Kisuke let out a slight snort at that. "That's right... Aizen neutered you, didn't he?" The blonde chuckled.

"Glad somethings are still the same," Squinty was promptly ignored again.

"What can I say?" He remarked easily. "I took a shot at the King and I didn't even graze him." He let out a snort of his own. "But I came closer than anyone else, barring the Soul King."

Kisuke narrowed his eyes at those words. "Is that it then? Kick your ass and all of a sudden you join the fight against the Soul King?" He tilted his head at him. "Should we expect the same from the Quincies? The Royal Guard?" The blonde hummed at him. "Is that the solution? We all rise up against the Balance, against Hell, and hope it doesn't turn badly for us?" The blonde took in a deep breath. "As I said, I've accepted the impossible situation we're in, and despite the incredulous nature of it- I'll even accept your farfetched idea that the Founding Nobles were once rulers of Hell, that the current Rulers are destined to reignite this cycle- but what I won't accept is that you, is that anyone has a solution for all of this that doesn't end in the deaths of billions!"

He just stared at the blonde, a slight tilt to his own head. "Then why are you here?"

"Because Aizen asked me to." The man admitted. "Aizen told-" Whatever he'd been about to say died off as Kisuke's eyes narrowed, and he promptly got up onto both feet. "...Where is Aizen Sosuke?" The man was now frowning heavily. "He was supposed to come here with us-" His gaze shifted to Squinty who just blinked at him in confusion.

"Huh really?" A beat passed as Squinty processed his predicament. "I won't lie to you, I thought we got executed."

He blinked at the idiot, his head tilting at him more.

"...Executed?" Kisuke muttered as he focused his gaze on the other shinigami.

"Didn' really wanna think about it so I didn'." The man paused. "Hang on you agreein' to come here I can see- You're a moron." He said to the blonde. "I musta' been dragged kickin' n' screaming if this was optional." A beat passed as he processed that amount of stupidity.

"...You weren't." Kisuke deadpanned to the other idiot. "I watched you agree to come here if Aizen let you touch his sword."

Squinty blinked at that, for the first time showcasing his eyes. "...Okay, I'll be honest, if he agreed to that then yeah, I came here willingly." He frowned as he gave a brief look all around him.

"...Your obsession with Aizen's blade is... somewhat concerning."

Squinty shrugged at that. "Eh, I was runnin' outta options pretty sure." Squinty promptly turned his gaze back onto him, the bemused look from earlier returning. "Though that does beg the question- If we came here willingly and Aizen double-crossed us-" He could practically see the moment Kisuke was about to interrupt that accusation, as likely as it might've been- "-then what the hell is Coyote Starrk doing here exactly?"

And just like that, Squinty became someone important as Josh Groban narrowed his eye at the still-breathing shinigami.

He baited his breath and waited... to little avail as nothing happened. The world didn't end. The realm didn't collapse on them.

For a brief moment ideally entertained the idea that because they were outside the Soul King's inner realm, for lack of a better term really, the rules weren't so etched in stone- And said theory immediately died a thousand deaths the moment Kisuke tried and failed to repeat the True Paradox.

...He wasn't sure why Aizen had deigned to send Squinty- "Your name, shinigami." He promptly asked as he failed to truly come up with one- As he truly realised the predicament a nameless shinigami bore.

He was supposed to know all of them.

The fact it had never occurred to him that there was one he knew nothing of... He held back the dark thought that threatened to form. He held back the urge to scream at the fact he hadn't had all of his information.

It wouldn't change anything now- He'd already lost after all but the fact his information had been compromised... His hands ever so slightly shook by his side as he wondered what else he'd missed.

For having had knowledge that was far, far, beyond the scope of even the realms greatest minds... The fact he had failed to notice such a glaring anomaly was... terrifying to consider.

Squinty frowned at him. "...You really don' know me?"

His frown deepened.

Was he supposed to!? If he was... what exactly was he missing!?

"Huh." The shinigami muttered. "You really don' know me, do you?"

"Name." He repeated, thinly.

Squinty gave him a long look at that before a the barest hint of a smile ethced itself onto his face. "Hitsugaya Toshi-"

"His name's Ichimaru Gin." The blonde cut him off.

"...This is how you get grudges against ya' Urahara Kisuke."

The blonde shrugged at that. "He already knew my name- had a whole file on me and everything when I visited."

He had a file on everyone except the second man who could say his forbidden name and considering the only other was Aizen Sosuke... His focus drifted towards the other shinigami as he took in Urahara Kisuke's face, with the man trying and once again failing to say said name, he found the same look of confusion growing on his face.

He turned back towards Ichimaru and wondered on what exactly was so special about him.

...

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Will be released on the 12/11/2024 (Hopefully)