Amamiya Miyako was unaware that his origins had just been laid bare before Ishida Ryūken. But even if he had known, it wouldn't have mattered much. He now possessed a level of power that afforded him a measure of safety, regardless of who he faced. Moreover, the chaos sown by Sōsuke Aizen was the paramount concern for everyone; no one had the luxury to pursue the mystery of a single Vice-Captain. Most importantly, after today, the need for certain deceptions would be over.
After arriving in the Human World with Rukia, they headed straight for Urahara Shop.
"Welcome, welcome! Amamiya-san, Kuchiki-san!" Kisuke Urahara greeted them with theatrical flair at the doorway.
"Urahara… Did you know we were coming?" Rukia asked, a frown forming.
"Ahem, just a hunch! If you hadn't shown up, I'd have been stuck standing here all day~"
"Enough games, Urahara. Has Ichigo already left for Hueco Mundo? I know you have a way. Send us there, now," Rukia demanded, urgency sharpening her tone.
"For you, Kuchiki-san? Of course, no problem! But…" Urahara's fan stilled, and his visible eye grew serious as it fixed on Amamiya. "…Amamiya Miyako. You cannot go."
"Why?!" Rukia took an angry step forward, ready to argue.
Amamiya placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, stopping her. He met her worried gaze with a calm, reassuring look. "Rukia, I'm sorry. It seems I'll have to let you go ahead. Don't worry. I'll catch up soon."
"But, Miyako, you…"
"It's alright. I have my own methods. Right now, Ichigo and the others need support more urgently. You go first." His voice was steady, leaving no room for debate.
"…I understand." Rukia, unaware that Ichigo had left with Chad and Ishida, assumed he'd gone alone. The thought of him facing Hueco Mundo by himself galvanized her.
"Then, Kuchiki-san, if you'd proceed downstairs. Tessai is waiting for you," Urahara said, his fan rising to obscure his expression.
Rukia gave Amamiya one last, searching look. He responded with a slight, confident nod. Satisfied, she turned and descended into the shop's basement.
Once she was gone, Urahara slowly lowered his fan. "You understand why I cannot allow you to go, Amamiya-san. Correct?"
Amamiya understood perfectly. Urahara feared an unforeseen incident in Hueco Mundo—a battle, a capture—that could lead to the Hōgyoku within him falling into Aizen's hands.
"Has Uryū already gone to Hueco Mundo with Ichigo?" Amamiya asked, changing the subject casually.
Urahara's silence was telling. He didn't know how Amamiya had deduced he'd recruited the Quincy boy. 'His connection with Ishida Ryūken…?'
"Since you don't wish for me to go to Hueco Mundo, then I won't," Amamiya stated plainly, turning as if to leave.
His ready compliance took Urahara aback. "Amamiya Miyako… are you returning to Soul Society?"
"No. I'm going to see Ishida-san. You're welcome to follow, if you like." He deliberately stated his destination, challenging Urahara. After all, it was Urahara who had just convinced Ishida Ryūken's son to embark on a suicide mission. Did he have the nerve to face the father now?
Urahara's fan drooped slightly, a rare sign of awkwardness. While he knew of a connection between Ryūken and Amamiya, his own relationship with the stoic Quincy was… fraught. Showing up now would be the height of poor timing.
'I'll have to wait for Isshin's report, then…' Urahara thought. After sending Uryū off, he had immediately sought out Kurosaki Isshin, tasking him with extracting the truth about Amamiya's origins from Ryūken.
…
Arriving at Karakura General Hospital, Amamiya immediately sensed a familiar, fiery Shinigami spiritual pressure—Kurosaki Isshin's.
'A meeting of two fathers, then…' It didn't take long for Amamiya to realize the likely topic of their conversation: himself. Ryūken would trust the historical knowledge of a former Shiba noble over the claims of an enigmatic Vice-Captain.
'Not that I lied to you, Ishida-san,' Amamiya thought. His information had been meticulously researched and was entirely accurate.
His reasons for seeking out Ryūken were twofold. First, his Quincy training with Ransōtengai had reached a critical bottleneck. Second, and more pressing, he recalled a piece of Quincy lore: when Sōken Ishida had fled the Wandenreich, he hadn't left empty-handed. Among the artifacts he took was something akin to a Sankt Zwinger—a 'Sun Key'—a device the ancient Quincy used to pierce through dimensional boundaries.
During the Blood War a millennium later, Ryūken would use a similar artifact left by his father to reach the Wahrwelt and deliver the Silber arrow to Uryū. 'If it can reach the Quincy's shadow realm… it might also be able to open a path to Hueco Mundo.' He couldn't afford to wait passively in the Human World. He had his own objectives in that desolate kingdom.
He went to the usual basement entrance, only to find it expertly sealed, with no trace of the mechanism. However, the entrance to the special high-density Reishi training room was still accessible. He could continue his Ransōtengai practice there.
But first, he needed to find Ryūken. He flared his spiritual pressure subtly, sending a clear signal.
A moment later, a side door opened, and Ryūken emerged, his glasses glinting. "You again. I reserved a room for your training. Use it. There is no need to seek me out further." His tone was dismissive, colder than usual. Even with Isshin's confirmation, the revelations about the past had left him in no mood for further dealings with this hybrid anomaly.
"My apologies, Ishida-san. I heard your son has departed for Hueco Mundo. Are you not concerned?"
"That is Uryū's choice. If he dies there, it is his own affair." The words were harsh, but a tension in Ryūken's jaw betrayed him.
"Is that so? Yet I made a promise to you, Ishida-san. To lend Uryū a hand when he needs it most."
"What does that have to do with you seeking me out now?" Ryūken's frown deepened. His hope had been for future protection against Yhwach, not for Amamiya to chase his son into Aizen's fortress. Amamiya's nature—a Shinigami with Quincy powers—was too unstable to fully trust.
"Then I'll be direct. Ishida-san, do you possess a method to open a gateway to Hueco Mundo? I wish to go there to hinder Aizen. On this point, our interests align. Neither of us wants the land and souls of Karakura Town to become Aizen's fuel."
Ryūken had learned much about Aizen's threat from Isshin. While he had some confidence in Uryū's current abilities, if Aizen was truly as monstrous as described, his son's chances were slim. An additional capable fighter could mean the difference between life and death.
"Why does Urahara refuse to aid you? Are you not allies?"
"My current… circumstances are unique. They prevent Urahara from permitting my departure. But with one more person, Uryū and Ichigo's odds of survival improve." Amamiya's reasoning was pragmatic.
What Urahara's secret motives were didn't concern Ryūken. Isshin hadn't mentioned the Hōgyoku. In Ryūken's calculus, his son's life held more weight than Urahara's mysterious precautions.
He was silent for a long moment, weighing the risk against the potential benefit. "…Remember your promise." He turned away. He did indeed have such a method, using an heirloom artifact—one of the many things his light-fingered father had 'liberated' from the Wandenreich. For the first time, he felt a flicker of gratitude for Sōken's thievery.
"However, could you wait a moment, Ishida-san? Before I leave, I need to return to that training room. It will only take a short while." Amamiya's voice held a new, quiet certainty. The final piece of his preparation was about to fall into place.