Chapter 228: Intrigue
"Vahn Mason...it's nice to put a face to the name..." remarked Urahara, a lean, pasty-skinned man with messy, muted-blonde hair and sharp grey eyes that drooped slightly at the edges. His attire was simple, consisting of a dark green samue beneath a black haori with white diamonds circling the hem, two-toothed wooden geta with red bands, and, most iconically, a green-and-white-striped bucket hat—worn low so that the brim almost perpetually cast a shadow over his eyes.
"Tea...?" asked Tessai, a tall, notably muscular, mustachioed man with thick, square-rimmed glasses, black hair fixed into dreadlocks, and an even simpler outfit than Kisuke's, consisting of a white t-shirt and dark green trousers beneath a blue apron bearing the logo of the shop they were presently gathered in, Urahara Shoten.
"No, but thank you..." answered Vahn, holding up his left hand in a halting gesture as he sat cross-legged with Yoruichi curled atop his lap in her cat form, allowing him to pet her at his leisure.
"So? What did you want to discuss?" asked Vahn, directing his gaze and the question at Kisuke, causing the man's smile to broaden as he asked, "Straight to the point, eh? That's fine with me..."
As if a switch had been flipped in his mind, Kisuke's demeanor went from nonchalant to serious in a split-second as he leaned forward slightly and asked, "For what reason did you breathe life into our reality? What do you hope to gain?"
"Life would surely be much easier if there were a well-thought-out reason or explanation behind everything..." responded Vahn, shifting his focus to Yoruichi, scratching the underside of her chin as he added, "But the truth of the matter is that I didn't put much consideration into my actions when I brought your world and innumerable others into being. Many I will likely never interact with. However, because a certain kitten happened to sneak attack and subsequently approach me, I've become increasingly invested in your world..."
"Who could that have been, I wonder~?" asked Yoruichi, rolling onto her back, allowing Vahn to caress her stomach and gently dig his fingers into the fur coating her chest.
Looking between Yoruichi and Vahn, Urahara appeared to deliberate for several seconds before asking, "Then, more to the point, what were your intentions when you revealed the truth? You must have something in mind for us to broaden our horizons to such an extent..."
Shaking his head, Vahn countered, "Unlike you, I'm not good at deception or schemes. I didn't like feeling like I was deceiving someone I claimed to care about, so I revealed the truth. How you use it is up to you, but I hope you will use it to try to do good rather than deliberately cause harm."