Chapter 12: What Comes After The Rain

"In your darkest hour, in the blackest night... think of me... and I will be with you. Always. For where else could I go? Who else could I love but you?" – Myste

.....

"IMPOSSIBLE!" A pair of hands slammed down onto a panel.

BAM!

Tosen, upon returning to the group's hidden lab, immediately vented his frustration.

"If it blew up, it didn't just have a target for Hollowfication… It means that it actually reached the final stage of the transformation…" He muttered, before continuing in frustration again, "and now, because of a Quincy…!"

"It was a failure…" He roared, gritting his teeth. "We created it to Hollowfy a Shinigami, yet… It was a failure! That was an utter disaster! A fiasco…!"

The feeling of sheer disappointment was overwhelming Tosen. All those samples, the time dedicated for the research… It was practically wasted! He was fuming, filled with countless negative emotions before Aizen calmed him down.

"That is not true." Aizen denied Tosen.

Tosen turned to look at Aizen, who was taking off the reiatsu-cloaking coat and hat. The man in glasses did not look frustrated at all. Instead, he had a contemplative look on his face, which puzzled Tosen.

"When things stray off from the original goal…" Aizen said as he walked down the small stairs. "…sometimes it's because they're surpassing it."

"This was not counting that former ryoka!" He hissed, seething in anger. "We did not calculate his meddling! If not for him…!"

After taking off the hat and halfway through taking off the coat, he gave an amused look on his face to both Tosen and Gin. He raised his hand towards Tosen, gesturing him to calm down for one moment.

"An unexpected happening means…" He reasoned as he spreads his hands, "…a happening that we weren't able to predict." before he ended it with, "Interesting."

He then went on with his explanation, "A Hollow created from a dead Shinigami actually chose a Quincy, a being that is very much the opposite to it. And not to mention…" Before showing a look of interest on the thought of the matter, after which he posed the question with a glint on his eyes that was reflected by his glasses: "We may have witnessed something quite interesting. Don't you wish to see what is ahead of this?"

Even despite the upset, he still enjoys the unexpected, much to the bafflement of his two subordinates…

…..

"Hey, are you the captain's underling? You also work for this Soul Society?" Masaki suddenly asked, while Shugo was helping Isshin walk back.

At the moment, he was carrying Isshin by his side. Granted, Isshin had already been healed, somewhat, by Masaki. However, seeing that the situation was rather urgent, Shugo proposed that they continue this in a safer place.

"My…rank is indeed below the captain here." Shugo nodded, gesturing at Isshin beside him, before he continued after contemplating, "Pertaining the details, however, I can only say that I belong to a different division than the one he leads."

Masaki nodded in understanding. This meant that while he was of a lower rank than the Shinigami captain, he was not directly under his lead.

"So… You're saying that you were there because…this captain went over here?" She tilted her head, trying to understand the reason why Shugo was even present.

"To put it simply." He nodded, before he detailed it a bit more, "The captain's arrival here was out of precedence, which was further complicated by his unnotified entry into Karakura Town, since 'tis under the jurisdiction of the division I belong to."

She was mulling it over, before she noticed he stopped walking.

"A nonce, if you would." He said as he snapped his fingers.

'A nonce?' She raised her brow, but before she could ask him what that meant…

SNAP!

A car slowly appeared before them. Its rather…intimidating front, augmented with its ornate patterns and sleek looks was certainly an interesting thing to see. Masaki had a look of curiosity on her face, while Isshin was guffawed by the sight of it.

"The Regalia Type-G, courtesy of my dear friend." Shugo smiled, remembering how often he used it and of Cid's remarks regarding the car when he first built it, trying to reverse-engineer from the original Regalia used by Noctis.

He puts Isshin at the seat next to the driver's seat, while Masaki sat at the passenger's seat behind him. He then hopped into the car, before he flicked a switch on the stick behind the driving wheel.

CLICK!

The back of the car opened, before the car's retractable roof appeared and fully shielded them from the rain. He never really bothered using it back on Hydaelyn, since he wouldn't really get sick like normal people do. However, considering that Masaki was currently with them, it would be wise to roof up the car.

The car's engine hummed as he drives towards his base of operations, surprisingly silent compared to the others that he had heard from Ardbert when the shard was patrolling through the town during daytime. Isshin looked astonished, while Masaki was enjoying the ride. The car was nothing short of luxurious, even so far as to having this regal feeling to it.

One thing that did pop in Shugo's mind, though, is how he never really refueled it.

'Was it because of the strange nature of Noctis' Regalia? Or mayhap 'twas due to myself?' He pondered as he continued to drive.

He was snapped back to reality as Isshin tugged his kosode's sleeve.

"Oi, Kurenai. You sure people can't see us in this?" Isshin asked rather hoarsely.

"Nay, Captain. Fret not." Shugo shook his head in answer. "This car follows my nature, hence 'twon't be seen by the mortals here."

Isshin sighed in relief, for a moment before he asked again, "Wait… What about the girl?" as he gestured at Masaki, who sat behind.

"She too will be masked by this car, provided she does not leave the premises." Shugo shrugged, before adding, "Aside from those who are spiritually aware, or akin to her of course."

The streets were not too crowded, hence it was easy for Shugo to navigate through the town, before reaching the ruins of Sukari Building, his base of operations here. He then summoned his Tomestone and included Isshin's and Masaki's reiatsu into the acceptance list as they entered the area.

Passing through the barrier, the other two were surprised to see the building somewhat repaired.

"We've arrived." He said as he exits the car.

Both Isshin and Masaki exit the car, after which he then snapped his finger. The car slowly disappeared, as it went back into his storage. Gesturing them to follow him inside, they were met with a curious gaze from Ardbert, who saw them coming in after Shugo.

"Hey, hero." Ardbert greets him, "Mind tellin' me why the captain's here? Along with the lass?" peering over Shugo's shoulder to see the other two.

"Kurenai." Isshin said slowly. "Who's this?" Rather wary, he held one hand on Engetsu.

Meanwhile, Masaki was trying to remember this other guy, who looks like the one she saw yesterday when going back home from school via the train.

"'Tis complicated, captain." Shugo shrugged helplessly. "You'd best ask for permission from the captain-commander, should you wish to know."

Isshin raised his brow. "Why I gotta ask Ol' Man Yama?"

"It pertains to my…situation. Suffice it to say, 'twould prove…difficult to explain, without his discretion." Shugo sighed, trying to explain while being as vague as he can.

Before Isshin could press further, Shugo waved his hand in dismissal. "Worry not, for we have better things to worry about." He said as he pointed at Isshin. "For 'tis the matter of your wounds, captain."

Isshin froze, before sheepishly chuckling. He forgot that he was wounded, and it wasn't just from the Hollow either. That mysterious slash, probably from the traitor…

"Milady." Shugo lightly nods his head at Masaki. "If you would." He gestured at Isshin, who was being put on the sofa by Ardbert.

…..

In the noon of the next day…

Isshin had already left in the morning, while Masaki had left during the previous night not long after she finished healing Isshin. So, Shugo was alone for the time being in the base of operations.

"Ardbert. Fray." He called them out, with Fray appearing while Ardbert stood up from the nearby sofa.

"What is it, hero?" Ardbert asked, yawning as he was coming to from his sleep.

"As per our agreement from yesterday." Shugo remarked, to which Ardbert nodded, since he knew what Shugo meant by that.

"Aye, don't worry 'bout it too much. Just go and report or whatever." Ardbert shrugs.

Shugo sighed before he went outside and up into the air, as he opened a Senkaimon to head back. Isshin mentioned that he'd stop by the Fourth before having to go to the First to give his report to the captain-commander in a meeting.

"You're probably also gonna get summoned, so I'd also go back if I were you." Isshin reminded him before he left earlier in the morning.

Of course, Shugo also heard Isshin's grumbling as he was heading out from the base, something along the lines of "Gramps' gonna have my head.". He chuckled in memory of this. As he stepped out from the Senkaimon, he was greeted by Rukia and the two Co-3rd Seats, now that he was back in Soul Society, the Thirteenth's barracks to be more specific, for the time being. They were seemingly there as if they expected him.

'No doubt 'twas the captain's doing.' He thought.

"Kurenai-dono!" Rukia bowed lightly.

"Welcome back, Kurenai!" Both Kiyone and Sentaro greeted him at the same time, which got them to bicker again.

"Whaddya doin'!? I'm the one who greeted him first!" Kiyone glared at Sentaro, who in turn, retorted with, "Nope, I did, not you!" while jeering at the girl.

The two were locked in a glaring competition, the flicker of electricity visible between their eyes as they glared at each other fiercely.

"Pardon for the interruption," Shugo cleared his throat, "mayhap the captain expects my presence?" he asked the two, snapping them out from their usual shenanigan.

"Ah, yes! Captain Ukitake wants you to go to him once you're back!" Kiyone snapped back to attention and mentioned.

"Yeah, he said he had something important to discuss with you!" Sentaro added.

"I see…" Shugo hummed. "Shall we depart?"

He then walked towards the captain's office, with both Kiyone and Sentaro leading him, while Rukia followed from behind. Peeking back at the girl over his shoulder, he was rather confused. Why was she there? Kiyone and Sentaro were to be expected, but of Rukia? He could only hazard that 'twas part of her duty as a Kuchiki, or that of her own personal reason.

Shrugging mentally, it didn't take long before they arrived at the Captain's Office, where upon arrival, the captain was already waiting by the office's door.

"Captain Ukitake, we've brought Eight Seat Kurenai!" Both Kiyone and Sentaro said in unison, which prompted them to glare at each other for one moment before they focused back on the captain.

"Captain." Shugo bows lightly.

"Welcome back, Kurenai-kun!" Ukitake smiled warmly, though his face then turned serious as he said, "While I would've liked for you to take it slow, however, it seems that the head captain wishes for your presence in the captains' meeting today."

"I suspect as much." Shugo sighed.

Ukitake then turned towards Kiyone and Sentaro who were already brawling while Ukitake and Shugo were conversing, despite for a short while. Clearing his throat, he calmed them down, "Now, now, you two. I'll take it from here."

Feeling rather embarrassed, the two immediately skedaddled to the inside of the captain's office. They're still in the midst of transitioning the workload from them to the captain. When asked, both of them and Ukitake estimated that it would take at least three months or so for them to fully transition the workload to Ukitake.

The comedic sight never ceased to amuse Shugo, from the few times he had seen it.

"Well now, let's go to Sensei, shall we?" Ukitake gestured for Shugo to follow him.

Rukia, in the meantime, bowed and left soon after, probably helping Kiyone and Sentaro.

Both Shugo and Ukitake then began to Shunpo towards the Captains' Assembly Hall in the First's Barracks. While on the way, Shugo contemplated on whether he should tell Ukitake beforehand or not. However, considering the unnecessary risk of the possibility of alerting the other party, he decided against it and remained quite while on the way to the Assembly Hall.

…..

The meeting went about as well as one can expect, considering the gravity of a captain coming to the World of the Living, losing two more Shinigami, and the intrusion into the jurisdiction of another division without prior notice. This was not mentioning the bizarre Hollow that killed the two Shinigami in question. Certainly enough, it displeased Yamamoto greatly.

However, it was certainly surprising that such a Hollow could even exist. Noting that it fights more like a Shinigami than a normal Hollow, or even a Menos Grande, it wasn't a comforting prospect. Thus, the culprit for the deaths of numerous Shinigamis for the past two months were solved, just like that. But even he could tell, that Isshin was not mentioning something.

Those present in the room kept to themselves, though Mayuri certainly showed a look of interest when Isshin mentioned the bizarre Hollow that he fought.

"…with this…" Isshin stated, "...my report is over."

"…I see." Yamamoto stepped forward.

"You did go out without permission. But thanks to your swift action, in conjunction with the acting Shinigami of the jurisdiction, kept the deaths to a minimum." He remarked. "…And the Human World didn't suffer too much damage."

He then tapped the floor with his staff.

THUD!

"In other words!" He exclaimed, before handing down his verdict, "This time, I will overlook your violation of the rules!"

"Great!" Isshin pumped his fist, before realizing that he just acted his own thoughts out loud, to which he then said, "I mean… THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" bowing at Yamamoto in gratitude.

Isshin then began to walk back to his row in the two columns of captains.

"Hah!" Mayuri snorted. "I still think it's a big crime failing in recovering the body of that mysterious Hollow."

Shunsui, who was next to Mayuri, only laughed at the mad scientist's remarks. Considering that the Hollow exploded and leaving no traces, it was next to impossible in recovering it in the first place.

Before Isshin could get between Shunsui and Mayuri, being that his row was there…

"By the way." Yamamoto said.

Isshin stopped on his tracks.

"You only reported that something strange happened to the Hollow…" Yamamoto called out his suspicions, holding the report on his hands. "Aren't you leaving something out?"

Peering his eye open slightly, Yamamoto asked, "Do you reckon there was nothing else worth mentioning?"

Turning to look at the head captain, Isshin flashed back a little to Masaki's face under the rain, he had a firm look on his face.

"…Yes." He stated decisively. "Nothing else."

Seeing that the young captain won't budge, Yamamoto left it at that. The meeting continued before it came to an end some time later. And at that time, he had Chojiro call the Acting Shinigami of Karakura, who was waiting in another room.

"Captains Shiba, Kyoraku, Ukitake, Unohana and Feng. Remain in this chamber." He then ordered, which confused the aforementioned captains, but nonetheless they complied as the others left the room.

Meanwhile, the leader of a certain trio had a glint in his eyes when he heard the head captain's odd orders, as he left the place.

…..

Shugo was told to wait inside the Lieutenant's Assembly Room upon arriving, somewhere nearby the Captains' Assembly Hall. At the moment, Rangiku was also present within the room. More likely than not, she was waiting for her captain, given that her captain was one of those involved in the mess that happened. Toshiro, in the meantime, remained behind at the Tenth's barracks, keeping the division running, being the most responsible out of the three-top brass of the Tenth.

The two were quiet. Shugo was understandable, but Rangiku was oddly quiet. She was waiting, with breath abated. Try as she might, she still couldn't help but feeling rather worried for her captain.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto." She was snapped back when Shugo suddenly called her.

"What is it?" She managed to respond without stammering, somehow.

"A word of advice." He paused for a nonce. "Have faith, for unfounded concern spells doubt in light of all that has been achieved."

This time, Rangiku was stammered, even for a moment.

'Was it THAT obvious?' she asked herself, to which Haineko, her zanpakuto, replied in smugness, 'Yes you are, you lame-ass old lady!'

Rangiku was visibly angered, but Shugo easily picked up that her hostility was stemming towards her zanpakuto. Whatever her zanpakuto said, it certainly angered her enough.

Shrugging his shoulders, he then stared at the ceiling for a few nonce, before Chojiro came into the room.

"Eighth Seat Kurenai." Chojiro calmly called him. "The captain-commander orders for your presence in the assembly hall. Please follow me."

Nodding wordlessly at the First's Lieutenant, he didn't look back when Rangiku seemed to calm herself and was about to ask him something as he left the room. Walking towards the assembly hall, he passed by Aizen. When he was literally side-by-side, he only spoke one word in a tone quiet enough for Chojiro to not hear him, but loud enough for Aizen to hear it.

"White." He said, with full knowledge on what, or who, he was referring to.

A hint of surprise shone from Aizen's eyes, as he eyed on the passing Eighth Seat, before it turned into a cautious one. He then turned back and continued walking.

"My, my." Aizen remarked silently to himself. "Certainly, an interesting opponent to have. And a rather dangerous one as well."

…..

Entering the assembly hall, Chojiro went towards the head captain.

"I've brought Eighth Seat Kurenai, sir." Chojiro reported.

Yamamoto nodded at his Lieutenant. "Good work." He said as he tapped the floor with his staff.

THUD!

"Let us begin!" He stated, before continuing with an order, "Eighth Seat Kurenai! You are permitted to present your account on the incident!"

Shugo stepped to the front, surrounded by the two columns of the remaining captains. To his left were captains of even divisions, except for Kyoraku, while to his right were the captains of the odd divisions, despite the fact it only has Ukitake, with Kyoraku being the one to accompany the white-haired captain.

"I beseech for your approval, head captain." Shugo bowed lightly. "To obscure this chamber."

This raised Yamamoto's brow. "Explain the reasoning, Kurenai." Yamamoto then ordered.

"This pertains to my account, head captain." He explained. "'Tis of the highest concern that this matter should not be heard by…unwanted parties."

Rubbing his beard, Yamamoto pondered for a moment before giving a wordless nod. Seeing the head captain's approval, he then began encroaching on the various elements of the room, excluding its current occupants, with his spiritual sense, augmented by his knowledge as a Master Machinist.

It should be noted that while it doesn't necessarily qualify him as someone who's an equal to Cid nan Garlond, however, 'twas enough to at least have the knowledge to create or tinker with electronics or machines, to a certain degree.

It didn't take long before he sensed several listening devices. No visual broadcasting devices or such were detected, since it would trigger him faster than listening devices would, given that it's considerably larger and would emit a tad more aether, or in this case reishi, that translates into electricity before being routed to wherever they're meant to.

He then applied some reishi at the hidden devices to mask its sensors, which were all implemented in blind spots that others wouldn't think of, such as behind the scroll near Yamamoto's seating, or in one of the corners of the hall that others won't search due to its non-essential proximity. It should muffle the conversation spoken in the hall well enough.

"'Tis done, head captain." He bowed lightly again. "Once more, thank you for the opportunity."

Yamamoto opened his eyes a little, surprised at Shugo's remark. 'He's implying that there were such things in this chamber!'

That was worrying. VERY worrying. 'This shall be dealt with later. For now…'

"You may present your account, Eighth Seat Kurenai." He ordered.

Shugo nodded, to which he promptly created multiple memory crystals for each captain present. This was an additional layer of security measure, ensuring that should anything else escaped his notice (if such a thing was even possible), the unwanted parties would only be able to obtain crumbles of information from the entire discussion.

The crystals then floated towards each captain. Isshin looked at the one in his hand, utterly confused on what this was supposed to be. With each holding one in their hand, they proceeded to absorb the crystal. Seeing that the others seemed to be doing the same thing, Isshin followed their footsteps and absorbed the crystal as well.

Time seemed to slow down as it showed them the contents within the crystal: It clearly showed Shugo's arrival to the battle, in which Isshin had unintentionally intruded upon Karakura Town from the neighboring Naruki City. It also showed his brief clash with the bizarre Hollow, in which he could tell from his Echo was called as "White".

Of course, it also showed him yelling at Isshin to watch out for his behind, and his subsequent clash with one of the three shadows at a distance behind Isshin, to which it then showed his view as well. They were seeing how he sensed their aether within them, despite not sensing much of their spiritual side due to that bizarre cloak they wore. And yes, the events that followed with him basically calling out the name of the head honcho of the trio.

"Curse you, Aizen!" His remark in the memory display certainly caught the captains off-guard.

Regarding the matter of Masaki, who was a Quincy, he decided to not show the parts where she was present. He simply made those parts a bit…blurry if Masaki was present in the other parts where she wasn't actively being present.

His clash with one of the three in the back was also shown, even including the fact he could see the face of the one he was facing, which was Tosen, since the hood that covered him wasn't enough to cover some of his facial features. Combined with the aether that the blind captain had, and the information visible in his eyes from the Echo, it was easy enough to identify the man's identity.

The captains roughly took an hour to finish viewing the entire event, with their memory crystals already gone by the time they opened their eyes, already absorbed into them.

Yamamoto stared into Shugo, undoubtedly disturbed by such revelations. This was not mentioning Isshin himself, who was in the incident. The other captains showed baffled expressions, though Unohana only frowned.

"Is this…memory… Accurate, Eighth Seat Kurenai?" The head captain asked sternly.

It was clear that the head captain wishes for this to not get worse than it already has.

"'Tis as you've seen, head captain." Shugo shook his head, giving the old man a thin, wry smile, causing the head captain to sigh heavily. "In this reality, only one can fool my senses. And I sincerely doubt he would do such a thing."

Sui-Feng interjected and asked, "Who is this other one you're saying?"

Turning to the braided black-haired captain, he only pointed upwards, wordlessly saying the only other possible candidate to match him. This almost caused the captain of the Omnitsukido to pounce on him, only for her to stop herself mere inches away from his face, and recall his feats, which at the very least gave some grounds on his rather…presumptuous claim.

The room was silent for a moment after the exchange, while Shugo himself wasn't fazed by Sui-Feng's actions. In fact, he completely understood why. Regardless, it is what it is. It didn't take much to feel that ungodly amount of aether coming from somewhere above the Seireitei, which was as powerful as he had been when he participated in Operation Archon, in which he faced against Ultima Weapon and the ascian Lahabrea.

"If 'tis alright with you, head captain, I have a suggestion." He then broke the silence in the chamber.

Yamamoto, who was ruminating on how to deal with this whole mess, looked up at the young man, his eyes opening slightly to do so.

"Speak." He said curtly.

"We must play the fool." Shugo said, further elaborating, "For 'tis unwise to alert the quarry any further."

That raised Yamamoto's brow. It was certainly counter-productive. But why he would suggest that? Before he could specifically ask the reasoning…

"I see." Ukitake then spoke up. "You're suggesting that we bide our time until Aizen shows his hand, and then we'll deal with him." His eyes gleaming as he pieced together Shugo's solution.

While it was an obvious next step, it's still a rather sound one. Rather than bringing everything down on the man right now, they're better off waiting for Aizen to slip and get the drop on him. Even Kyoraku, who's only adept at mind games and strategies unlike Ukitake, understood this point.

Unohana had a weird glint on her eyes as she looked on her "son". 'To think he would propose a scheme like that. How straight-forward and devious…' She had a frightening grin on her face, but for a breath before plastering back to her usual look.

Both Ukitake and Kyoraku noticed Unohana's grin, much to their own chagrin. It instantly sent shivers down their spine, given that both knew how utterly terrifying the captain of the Fourth used to be. Kyoraku looked to the side faking a whistle, while Ukitake kept a poker face plastered on his face.

Yamamoto closed his eyes, understanding the goal of the scheme. The plan was a long-term one. Though this meant that they would have to let the man in question going through whatever he's planning to do before the designated time. He was certainly not pleased with the thought. However, because they simply had no actual proof, with only relying on one person's testimony, it was simply impossible to even consider charging one of the perpetrators.

'This will have to do.' He hardened himself, resolute on going through with the decision he's about to make.

"Very well." He then said decisively. "Your suggestion is indeed sound, Eighth Seat Kurenai. We shall enact this plan, effective immediately."

THUD!

Yamamoto tapped the floor with his staff, again, signifying that the topic on the matter has ended.

"Head Captain, another matter must be addressed." Shugo said, which caused the old man to open his eyes slightly yet again.

"What is it?" Yamamoto asked.

"'Tis regarding Captain Shiba." Shugo said as he looked over at the captain in question. "Now that the captain has been…exposed to these, I fear that an explanation is necessary."

The participants in the room, aside from Isshin, finally realized this single misstep. They've all seen, or experienced, what he did. Isshin was the only one among them that have yet to experience what Shugo did. Now that Isshin has, he might as well be brought into the secret regarding Shugo's identity.

And just like that, he was brought in on Shugo's secret. The result? The man literally went to Shugo and started crying exaggerated tears, just to show how he empathized with him. With the matter brought to close, the meeting was adjourned, and the participants each left. Shugo, in the meantime, returned back to the World of the Living to resume his duties as the assigned Shinigami of Karakura Town.

…..

The following day…

In a certain private high school in Naruki City, Masaki was in the midst of a lesson by the teacher. However, her mind was wandering off somewhere else, as she stared at the view outside from the window next to her seat. To be precise, she was thinking about a certain Shinigami captain.

'I wonder if he was able to return to Soul Society…and if someone got angry at him.' She pondered as her mind flashes back to Isshin.

Her face only had a small trace of worry on it, making sure that the others weren't picking it up.

'Maybe…' She thought. 'I should've asked his name…' Somewhat lamenting that she didn't ask the captain's name, despite the fact that the other Shinigami she met clearly knew his name.

…..

At the same time…

Isshin was laying down on the terrace of his office, which leads to a backyard space reserved for his use. His head was on a pillow that was leaning between the floor of the terrace and a pillar that held up the roof of the office, between the terrace and the entrance from said terrace to the office. He was musing on what had transpired for the past couple of days.

'So, it's true that some Quincies are still alive.' He mused at the revelation, as he flashes back to the sight of Masaki drawing her bow the first time around.

'That girl…' Really leaning on the pillow, he continued with his musing. 'Not only she saved me, a Shinigami, she even said that she was a Quincy. Pretty gutsy of her.'

'She was really something.' He admitted, recalling more of the sight of her as she was under the rain. 'I should've asked her more.' He pondered further, before he sat back up and looked at the sky above.

"Maybe I could meet with her again…" He muttered. "…to thank her properly."

…..

Later on, in the afternoon.

"I mean… Are you fine??" Kanan asked, utterly baffled.

Masaki looked at her incredulously. At the moment, she's walking back with two of her other friends, Kanan and Shiho. Kanan had a blonde hair, wearing the same uniform as Masaki while holding her school bag on one hand, slinging it over her left shoulder. Shiho, in the meantime, had a neat, long black hair that was kept tidy with her white hair band. She also wore the same uniform as the two.

Naomi, another of Masaki's friend, already went home before the trio did. Apparently, her family had some prior activities that she needed to attend to, hence she already bid them farewell and left earlier when school was over.

"You live in the same house as Ishida-senpai." Kanan pointed that out. "Every day must be exciting!"

"We're cousins, you know!" Masaki answered in disbelief. "There's nothing between us!"

It was very much common knowledge amongst her circle of friends that she was living in the Ishida Manor ever since she was adopted. Thus, it was of no surprise to them, though the actual surprising factor is that there's no illicit activities between her and Ryuuken, despite the fact that Ryuuken was by no means unattractive. In fact, he's one of the most popular students in their school due to his personality, grades and handsomeness.

"That's true." Shiho chimed in. "Even if he weren't your cousin, you're not that type of girl."

"You really get me, Shiho!" Masaki was really happy that Shiho came in. But that last remark… "Though I don't know why you have to make that comparison!"

"How'd you know?" Kanan still couldn't believe it. "Even if he were my cousin, he'd still make me horny!" She proudly exclaimed.

"Kanan, that's dirty!" Masaki was baffled by her proclamation, before looking at Shiho with pleading eyes. "Scold her, Shiho!"

The group continued to bicker, as a shadow was walking towards their way. Masaki then felt something tremble within her.

GURAAAAA! DURAAAA!!!

Unknowingly, she bumped into the shadow that passed by her, who was then revealed to be a man wearing some sort of a yukata layered by a black haori, and a striped dark green and white bucket hat, with the man's visible hair being blonde.

"Ahh…" Snapping back to reality, she looked at the man and apologized. "S-sorry!"

"No, it's ok, it's ok." The man waved his hand in reassurance. "Are you okay?" He asked back.

But before she could answer, both Shiho and Kanan came, rather worried of her.

"Are you ok, Masaki?" Kanan asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Masaki answered, keeping up her smile.

The trio continued with their walk back home, while the man turned around, and narrows his eyes. He had a contemplative look on his face as he gazed on Masaki.

…..

"CAPTAIN, CAPTAAAIIN! CAAAAPTAAAAIN!!" Rangiku called Isshin out rather giddily.

She was skipping around, her right hand holding a considerable stack of paperwork. It was obvious enough to any other members of the division to see the reason for her bizarre cheery attitude.

"I have to go to the dango shop for a sudden mission~!" She exclaimed cheerily. "Can I ask you to do this… Hm?"

Before she could finish her request, she saw a note on Isshin's desk. The writing was no doubt of Isshin's. She puts down the stack of paper on the table as she picked it up to read it.

To Rangiku.

I'm going to the Human World!

Come up with some excuse to

tell the captain-commander!

To the bottom left of the note was Isshin's signature. Rangiku took a few moments to process what she had just read. Her eyes widen as the feeling of anger surged from within.

"Wha…" She then proceeded to rip apart the note. "WHAT THE HELL!!!" She swore loudly.

RIIIIII~P!!!

"JUST CUZ HE WASN'T PUNISHED ONCE; HE NOW THINKS HE CAN VISIT THE HUMAN WORLD WHENEVER!!" She ranted on. "HE REALLY NEVER LEARNS!!"

Toshiro, who was within the office, noticed her as she ranted grievously.

"HOW CAN HE THINK SO LIGHTLY ABOUT HIS JOB!?" She growled as she threw the pieces of note, now crumpled into a ball, at the wall.

Toshiro had an unamused look on his face. "You're the one saying that?"

…..

Ardbert had just returned to the base. Patrolling this small town, that was relatively easy for him. While it wasn't as arduous as his previous endeavors back on the First, at the very least it was entertaining enough, allowing him to keep himself in shape. After dispatching the first few Hollows during his patrols, he would have a general idea on where Hollows usually appears.

He would also take note of some souls that were to be given Konso later on by Kurenai, when it was his shift. As he hopped back, he could feel the lass' aether, walking towards supposedly her home.

While he's not as well knowledgeable as Kurenai, he does have some knowledge on it. He recalls how it was somewhat different compared to the other normal humans he had seen. However, hers felt off today.

"What in the hells…?" He was confused.

It felt like…there was still her usual aether. But there's another…thing? It was as if…

"Oh, hells no…" He clenched his teeth as he hurried back to the base.

No wonder that thing self-destructed so easily! It had already achieved its purpose!

…..

"I'm home!!" Masaki exclaimed as she entered the Ishida Manor.

After saying goodbye to both Shiho and Kanan, she walked back to the Ishida Manor. While on the way, she felt the familiar reiryoku watching at her from afar. It was that ax-wielding guy, who always patrols on the day alongside the other one who has a giant sword on his back.

Ryuuken, who was walking on the second floor, noticed her coming into the Manor.

"Welcome back, Masa-…" Before he could finish greeting her back, however…

BOOM!

"Masaki-san." A familiar, stern voice called her out.

She jumped a little before she slowly turns around. Near the stairs was the ever-strict Mrs. Ishida, her aunt, or Aunty as she loves to call her. She sweat drops a little, seeing the matriarch of the Ishida family looking at her sternly, her hands folded.

"I-I just came back, Aunty!" She greeted her, giving a crisp military-like salute.

"We need to talk." Mrs. Ishida narrowed her eyes.

'Oh boy, let it rip…' Masaki was readying herself for her aunt's usual barrage of scolding.

Said aunt's next words, however, would instantly shatter her preparations.

"The other day…" Mrs. Ishida began her question- correction: interrogation. "…you saved a Shinigami and fought alongside one against a Hollow, didn't you?"

Masaki sweat drops further. "Eh…" She was shocked that this was instead being brought up.

Ryuuken, who was overlooking from the second floor, was shocked and instantly realized something.

'Oh no…' He clenched his fist.

"No…" Masaki tried to deny it, keeping her nervousness from showing. "I've done nothing like that…"

All while his mother continued to barrage Masaki with more questions.

"I have proof." Mrs. Ishida instantly shatters Masaki's denial. "Lying will just make it worse."

Ryuuken instantly bolts through the hall within the manor. There was only one person who could've made his mother aware of what happened. 'KATAGIRI!!!'

"Why didn't you say anything?" Mrs. Ishida questioned her as she walks towards her. "Moreover, why did you do it in the first place!?"

"Don't you find it shameful!?" She continues to berate Masaki, finally right in front of her. "How dare you break the rules of a Quincy, while being nurtured by the Ishida family!?" She grabbed Masaki's hand in a vice grip, making Masaki flinch at her sudden hostility.

Ryuuken, in the meantime, found the culprit to the whole mess happening on the first floor of the Manor. With anger, he bursts through the door and ran towards her in full speed.

BAM!

He then held her against the wall, with her left hand held by his right, and it wasn't subtle in any way.

BANG!

"WHY DID YOU TELL MY MOTHER!?" He raised his voice, feeling betrayed by her action. "That night, I told you…there were no issues!!" He emphasized the last point very clearly with his voice.

Katagiri, in the meantime, retorts back at him, feeling justified with her own actions. "But there was an issue!"

"What…" Ryuuken's eyes widened in confusion.

"Masaki-sama was wounded by the Hollow's attack!" She gave her reasoning. "If she's not cured by the masters with the original Quincy procedure, the future Quincy blood of the Ishida family might get spoiled!!"

This certainly angered Ryuuken. "For a reason like that…!"

"For a reason like that?" She scoffed at his words. "Isn't that everything!? Young Master, you said it yourself!!"

"That your marriage with Masaki-sama would be for the future of the Quincies!" She retorted with his own words that he said a couple of days ago against him.

"SHIT!!" Seeing how she felt so righteous about it, he narrows his eyes further in anger. Clenching his fist, he turned around to intervene against his mother.

He ran through the hall and back into the overview of the first floor from the second floor.

"MOTHER!!" He called out.

As he reached the hand barrier, he gripped it tightly while calling her out once more. "WAIT, MOTHER!!"

This caught both Masaki and Mrs. Ishida off-guard, as the two looked at the overview on the floor above them.

"!" Masaki turned and saw him. "Ryuu-chan!!" She exclaimed in surprise.

"Ryuuken!!" Mrs. Ishida also exclaimed in surprise.

"Masaki isn't responsible for that!" He tries to shift the blame from her. "Masaki was…"

"I…" Masaki instantly knew what he was trying to do. "It's ok, Ryuu-chan!" She tries to reassure him, while walking towards his below.

TAP! TAP!

"I'm…" But before she could finish her words…

Her view suddenly became black, and she dropped down onto the floor.

THUD!

Ryuuken looked at Masaki, who was now lying on the floor. He was speechless for a moment, before he finally called her out in panic. "MASAKI…!"

He ran down to the first floor, as his mother too looked at her in shock. "Masaki-san…?"

"MASAKI!!" He was almost upon her.

"WHAT'S WRONG, MASAKI!?" Dropping onto his knees, he asked her in panic. "DO YOU FEEL SICK!?" He turned her body around to check her condition.

THWIP!

As her front came into view, he slowly bore witness to the harrowing sight that was unfolding in front of his very eyes: a Hollow hole was forming just above her chest. The veins around the hole was bulging, as the hole ever so slowly expands.

"....." Cold sweat poured down from his face. "…This is…" His eyes widened in horror, sweat continued to pour down from his face.

"What…is this?" Even his mother looked at it in horror. "A Hollow hole…?"

Ryuuken then lifted Masaki's unconscious body up, alarming his mother. "!"

He then carried her to the door of the manor.

"What are you trying to do, Ryuuken?" She asked him, questioning his intent.

He didn't turn around, and only asked, "Where is father!?"

"I don't know." She shook her head. "I'm trying to get in touch with him. Wait here." She tells him.

Evidently, he doesn't care as he sprints out of the manor through the door.

"RYUUKEN!!!" His mother called him out, practically shouting.

"WAIT!!" She tries to go after him, holding her scarf up as she ran for the door.

"If you stay with that thing, you could be in danger too!!" She exclaimed.

"STOP, RYUUKEN!!" She desperately calls him out. "COME BACK. COME… PLEASE COME BACK, RYUUKEN!!!"

She stayed at the door, holding herself against it, as Ryuuken bursts through the manor's gates and went outside, trying to get her treatment.

…..

Back at the base, Ardbert had just finished briefing Shugo on what he had sensed from Masaki when she was walking back home. It certainly made him very alert.

"Pardon me, Ardbert." Shugo slowly stood up from the sofa. "You mentioned the girl has suffered an…affliction?"

"Aye, and 'tis no ordinary one." The Warrior of the First nodded. "I reckon it got somethin' to do with whatever that…hybrid did to her yesterday."

Shugo narrowed his eyes. Using the Echo, he briefly glimpsed into what Ardbert had seen during that time. Of course, he was also aware of Ardbert's thoughts during the vision, another of the upsides of the Echo. When he too felt via Ardbert's senses, combined with Ardbert's own inner thoughts, Shugo's eyes widened. As his mind returned to the present, he sighed heavily.

"Twelve forefend…" He pinched the bridge on his nose.

'That hybrid was akin to a Sin Eater…' He grimaced at the thought of it.

He then actively senses both aether and reishi within the town. Putting aside the known factors of the land, he could feel that there was two that were moving, somewhere in the northern part of the town. One was immobile, while the other was moving, seemingly carrying the former. As he focused more on the identity of these signatures, he clenched his fist.

"'Tis already begun." He muttered as he walked out of the base and started his patrol.

'For when the star lost its luster,

the ember's blaze shall drive back the darkness.

Even should it cost it their own light,

'twould not forsake the star,

so that there may be a tomorrow.' Was what Gurenbana said, prior to his departure from the base, therefore silencing Ardbert's worries, and of Shugo's as well.

…..

Running across the sky, in the twilight of the evening. All that Ryuuken cared about was curing Masaki of whatever this was. However, as his steps echoed the streets in the dead of night, he began to put the blame on himself.

'What is this…?' He asked himself. 'What's happening to Masaki…?'

'What's this a Hollow's hole like thing?' Masaki, who was in his cradle, continues to sweat while being unconscious. 'Why is she suffering so much?'

He was pained by her condition. Even if he doesn't necessarily love her romantically, it still pained him to see her like this. So…helpless, so weak. She was not like this. NEVER.

'Why…' He grits his teeth.

'Why didn't I stop her that time?' He asks himself self-depreciatingly, berating himself of his foolish inaction.

'Why didn't I join the fight and help her that time?' He berates himself further.

He could've helped her! They could've ended the fight earlier, and SHE wouldn't be INJURED! WHY!?

'Why…' His eyes were filled with grief.

However, wallowing in his mistakes, he failed to notice the incoming giant Hollow to his right. By the time he noticed, it was already too late.

"!" Was all that he could express as he looked to his right in shock, unable to react in time.

Before he could meet his end, however…

SLASH!

The Hollow was cleaved in two. And from behind the Hollow's previous position was a familiar sight, albeit an unpleasant one: the Shinigami captain she saved.

…..

"Phewww…" Isshin lets out his breath, feeling rather smug. "That was close! Too damn close for comfort, you know!"

"No need to thank me!" Holding his zanpakuto's dull back on his shoulder, he had a grin on his face. "I don't wanna be thanked by some squalid guy!" He even joked.

However, he got a reaction that he wasn't expecting. Ryuuken was looking at him murderously, filled with anger while still holding Masaki on his own.

"YOU…." Ryuuken seethed through his mouth.

"Hm?" Isshin was confused for a moment, before he looked down and saw Masaki on Ryuuken's cradle. "What?"

"!" Veins were bulging on her forehead, and also around the Hollow-like hole that was forming just above her chest, below her neck.

"Wait." Isshin said as he came closer to take a look at her. "Let me see her!"

Holding one hand over his zanpakuto, he was approaching the two. "She is…."

"Don't touch her!!!" Ryuuken roared at him in anger.

'This whole mess…it's because of this bastard.' He screamed in his mind. 'IF IT WEREN'T FOR HIM…!'

"…Masaki…" His voice was weak as he said her name. "…why do you think she got this!?" He questioned him in anger.

Looking at Isshin in the eye, he roared again. "IT'S BECAUSE SHE PROTECTED YOU!!!"

Isshin widened his eyes in shock.

"Even though it's against the Quincy rules…" Ryuuken muttered, his voice cracked. "She protected you, a Shinigami, and she got wounded…"

His voice then roared once more, asking Isshin again. "WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO GO THROUGH WITH THIS!?"

Isshin's eyes kept widened, in shock because of Masaki's condition. He then flashed back to the moment the bizarre Hollow bit into Masaki's shoulder. He then had a horrifying realization.

"…Is it because of the injury she suffered that time…?" He asked weakly.

"This was made by a Hollow." Glaring at Isshin, Ryuuken answered, "What else do you think it could be?!"

"I'm going to…" Before Ryuuken could say anything further, and the situation spiraling further downwards…

"Let's stop, please." An unfamiliar voice called out the two.

Isshin looked past Ryuuken, while the latter looked over his shoulder. The two saw a man, who was also standing in the air like them. The man was wearing a hat that covered his eyes from their view, while wearing a dark green Shihakusho without an undershirt and a black haori over said Shihakusho, with a white diamond pattern along its bottom half.

"There's no time to quarrel." The man said, defusing the situation between the two.

"You two." He then ordered. "Come with me."

"I'll tell you the possible ways…" He then gave them the solution to their current predicament. "..to save that girl." He points at Masaki.

…..

SLASH!

"HAUUURRGGGHHH…." The unfortunate Hollow was eliminated by Shugo's blade.

Sheathing Gurenbana, he sensed the area around him, before confirming that there were no more Hollows in the immediate vicinity for the time being. He then focused his senses on the two new ones that appeared near Masaki and her supposed acquaintance. One of the two new signatures was from a certain captain that was all too familiar.

"Captain Shiba?" He raised an eyebrow in surprise.

He was certainly surprised to sense Captain Shiba being there. Not that he was THAT familiar with the man to begin with… But still, the rather rebellious captain was here again, once more in the Human World, and more likely than not, to the chagrin of the captain-commander.

However, in light of Gurenbana's cryptic words beforehand, he simply kept observing from afar, and will only participate once the pre-determined future has come to past. With that in mind, he focuses himself on the other new signature.

"…?" He raised his brow more.

It certainly has a signature found in most Shinigami, which means that it was most likely a Shinigami. But…

"Why would there be an unknown captain-class Shinigami…" He pondered, before a rather ironic idea was forming in his head. "Mayhap… Could it be…"

He recalled a certain part of recent history from Soul Society during his rather short tenure in the academy. Since the signature has no Hollow feel coming from it, then it is narrowed down to only two possible candidates.

"The former Kido Chief, or the former Captain of the Twelfth…" He muttered quietly.

Regardless of whom this signature belongs to, it had all but confirm his suspicions. With full confidence, if one were to ask, he could say that it wasn't from any of the current captains of the Gotei 13. He would've recognized their signatures almost immediately, especially if it belongs to one of the three designated persons of interest.

Shaking his head, he continued his patrol. Before the last Hollow he eliminated, he had already performed Konso on at least three souls, while eliminating at least eight Hollows on separate occasion each. This certainly goes to show how this city is a very spiritually active location, in the sense it's where supernatural occasions would be more likely to occur than other places in the country or perhaps the region of the continent.

…..

All Masaki could feel was the desolation of wherever she was, as her consciousness comes to.

'I'm falling.' She said to herself. 'Falling down a quiet hole.'

'Quiet, dark, lonely.' She felt the emptiness of the space she was in.

It was trying to crush her heart. Her mind. Even as she fell further into the darkness, uncovered, she felt rather odd. One would normally feel afraid, terrified even.

'But for some reason, I don't feel scared.' She remarked. 'I'm sure…that someone is looking for me.'

However, while she said that, a white substance was slowly forming itself in the darkness. As she opened her eyes slowly to see what it was, it slowly formed into a rather familiar mask: it was that weird Hollow's mask. Said mask was preparing to devour her, as it slowly opens its "mouth".

…..

Back in the physical world, the mysterious man was guiding Isshin and Ryuuken into his shop. He began to explain as they entered his workspace.

"I've been researching the condition that girl has…" He started. "For about 100 years."

Ryuuken was baffled when he heard that. "100 years…!?"

Isshin, in the meantime, looked at the man in suspicion. No normal Human could live for that long, if they weren't blessed with good heritage from their family, or if they were not a mere Human.

'Of course, this ain't including that…guy, Kurenai.' He thought to himself, recalling that this particular idea doesn't necessarily apply to the aforementioned newbie of the Thirteenth.

"So, you're not the age you look." He stated, before asking the man straight: "Who are you?"

The man was briefly silent, as they arrived at the workspace in the shop. However, the following revelation would alarm Isshin.

"…My name is Urahara Kisuke." The man stated simply. "I was expelled from Soul Society."

"Urahara Kisuke…!" Isshin sweat dropped when the man revealed his identity. "You're…"

The man kept his silence, not offering any response to Isshin's alarm. Ryuuken, however, couldn't care less.

BAM!

He stomped his feet, dissipating the weird air between the captain and the exile. To him, right now, Masaki's condition is the first in his priority.

"I don't care who you are!!" He stated. "You can save Masaki, can't you!? Make her go back to how she was!!"

Kisuke turned his head to look at the desperate Echt Quincy carrying his betrothed. He had a rather blank look that didn't betray any emotion on his face.

"-…" He was silent for a moment, before he gave his answer: "…I didn't say I can make her go back."

"What!?" Ryuuken was shocked.

"I'll be frank." Kisuke ignored Ryuuken's reaction.

"That girl, Masaki-san…" Kisuke gave his blunt verdict. "…will never go back to how she was."

"!!" This instantly shook both Isshin and Ryuuken. Both of them had their eyes widening in shock.

"…Lay her here." Kisuke gestured towards the table, at Ryuuken with his hand.

…..

Coming around the table, Kisuke began to explain the condition Masaki was in.

"That condition… Is called Hollowfication.

Hollowfication means… Inserting a Hollow's soul into a normal soul, then breaking the boundary between them to try and turn the original soul into something more powerful.

Originally, this was meant to be used to strengthen a Shinigami's soul.

But the technology we possessed wasn't enough to control it.

This is the result of using that uncontrollable technique on a Quincy, a different objective than what was originally intended." He explained methodically.

"Uncontrollable…!?" Ryuuken felt cold sweat dripping, the color draining from his face. "But doesn't that mean…that we can't save Masaki…?"

"No." Kisuke shook his head. "We can't make her go back."

He then searched around, while clarifying his statement. "…But we can save her life."

Both Isshin and Ryuuken stood still, trying to process what they'd just heard. Of course, for Isshin, he had some idea of what it entails, given that he was made aware of the incident that occurred a hundred years ago. Albeit, it was all from a record that was, for all intents and purposes, HEAVILY redacted.

Kisuke continued with his explanation. "When a soul is Hollowfied, as the condition progresses, the original soul gets mixed up with the Hollow soul, becoming a monster unable to reason." His mind flashed back to the faces of certain individuals.

"And in the end…not only the boundary between the souls…" He said slowly, glancing down. "…but also, the one between the soul itself and the external world is disrupted… And the soul, regardless of its own will, self-destroys."

"This is called Soul Suicide." He looked up at the two of them and spoke.

"...…" The duo was once again thrusted into utter silence, taking the time once more to digest this information.

"In my hundred years of research…" He lets out a breath. "…I've found a way to stop this Soul Suicide."

Looking at them in the eyes once more, he then said: "That is… To insert something that's the opposite to the Hollowfication into the soul."

"The destruction of the boundary between souls, which is the key to Hollowfication, happens by disrupting the balance of the souls." He then explained the reasoning behind his solution. "In other words: a conflicting object would restore the balance on the other side and stop the destruction."

Ryuuken widened his eyes, much to his own horror. What this Urahara Kisuke is implying… It's very much the violation of everything that the Quincies are or have ever enforced.

'No… This… No, no no…' He panicked in his mind.

"…I don't get it." Isshin was still not grasping the idea.

"I'll use a concrete example." Kisuke then began to explain it to him patiently. "I created a vaccine using the Quincy's Arrow of Light and Human souls…and injected it into the souls of a few Shinigami that had been Hollowfied."

"Thanks to that…" His mind flashed back to another two familiar faces from his past. "…I was able to stop Soul Suicide in 100% of the cases."

"But that only stopped Soul Suicide." He got into the crux of the matter, or rather, the complication they're facing with Masaki. "Saving the girl's life, preventing Hollowfication, and allowing her to live as a normal Human… That would require a much stronger power."

"Something that would stay close to her until she dies…that would keep on blocking the Hollowfication…" He glanced down a bit, with his next words very much confirming Ryuuken's own thoughts. "…a strong, opposing power…"

"LIAR!!" Ryuuken yelled, before Kisuke could say anything further.

This caused Isshin to turn and look at the male Quincy. The desperation in his eyes, the horror at the realization of it… It was all too visible on his face. Kisuke wasn't the least perturbed.

"There…" Ryuuken began gasping for air. "There must be another way…"

"…You're sharp." Kisuke remarked neutrally. "You understood quickly."

"I know you don't agree…" He sighed. "…but…"

He gave the damning words to Ryuuken, shattering the hope that he had of placing himself in her stead. "…you cannot choose."

Ryuuken widened his eyes, before closing it in grief.

'How useless am I?' He berated himself. 'Even now, I can't even save Masaki …'

"The one who can choose…" Ignoring Ryuuken's distress, Kisuke turned to Isshin and said it bluntly. "…is you, Shiba Isshin."

Isshin widened his eyes in surprise, raising his brow, before lowering it.

"This is…" Kisuke said as he lifted the cloth covering the table next to Masaki's. "…a special shell I created."

"It's made from a Human soul…" Unveiled from the cover of the cloth was a body of sorts, or a Gigai. It didn't have any feature, sitting in a fetal position. "…and envelops the soul who enters it, becoming like a Human body."

"In other words: if you enter it…" Isshin listened intently. "…you'll become a being midway between Shinigami and Human."

"The opposite of Quincies are Shinigamis." Kisuke stated. "The opposite of Hollows are Humans."

He was then silent for a moment, before asking Isshin: "…you understand, don't you?"

"If you use this, you will become…" He said as he stared at the captain. "…a being completely the opposite to her."

'In other words, you become a Human.' Ryuuken thought bitterly as he too heard Kisuke's explanation.

"This is…" Masaki was still on the table, clearly suffering. "…your decision."

"However," Kisuke glanced down. "This choice has too many demerits for you."

He then explained the gist of it. "While you're inside this shell, not only you won't be able to use your Shinigami powers: but you won't even be able to see Hollows."

"And also, once you enter it…" He paused before continuing, "…you probably won't go back to being a Shinigami anymore."

Ryuuken clenched his fist until his knuckles were white.

'It has too many demerits?' He scoffed. 'This has nothing but demerits for someone like him!'

'There's no way he'll accept this.' He grits his teeth. 'No way…'

"To make this shell work as a vaccine to block the Hollowfication…" Kisuke explains further. "…I'll have to tie the girl's soul and the Hollow inside her to you with a reishi string."

"It's a string that binds souls." He continued. "It's extremely strong. As long as it's connected, you won't be able to leave the shell." He paraphrased.

"That is, until the girl and the Hollow inside her are free from that string." He concluded, raising his finger to gesture the importance. "In other words," Before he could finish, however…

…..

"I get it." Isshin folded his hand, his face basically saying something along the lines of: 'It's obvious, duh!'. "I'll do it!" He declared without any hesitation.

This stumped both Kisuke and Ryuuken. The former due to Isshin's readiness in accepting such a thing, while the later due to the fact that Isshin was even willing to do it without a second thought.

"What?" Kisuke was baffled by Isshin's decisiveness.

"I said I'll do it! Hurry up!" Isshin berated the exiled scientist. "Your explanations are too damn long!"

"You're just wasting time here!" He huffed. "I'll just have to quit being a Shinigami and protect her for a lifetime! Of course, I'll do that!"

Kisuke narrowed his eyes and asked, "…Don't you have any regrets?"

"Well, of course I do! Lots of 'em!" Isshin dismisses. "But who cares about that?"

"If I let the one who saved me die, just because of some regrets, tomorrow I'll be ashamed of myself!" He proclaims his conviction without any doubt.

Ryuuken closed his eyes in disbelief. The fact that this Shinigami echoes the same words as Masaki, and has the power to save her… It left a very bitter taste in his own mouth. He could only stare down in defeat, utterly powerless in this matter.

"…I see." Kisuke affirms Isshin's agreement. "Come here."

"I'll start the operation." He stated as he brought Isshin along.

The operation to save Masaki soon began…

…..

Back in Masaki's mind, she could see the mask of the weird Hollow was about to consume her. She held two of her arms in front of her, closing her eyes as she braced for the inevitable. Before that could happen however, she felt a hand grabbed her, and soon, she found herself being caught by Isshin. She looked at the man, surprised by his presence here.

"…Hey." He stared at her with a grin. "I came to protect you."

He then turned to stare down at the Hollow that was looming in front of the two.

"Hey, Hollow!" He called it out. "Now that I'm here, I won't let you lay a finger on her!"

The Hollow didn't react much, other than simply staring at Isshin with its empty, non-existent eyes.

"What's that face!?" He taunted. "Do you think it's weird for me ta talk 'bout fingers when you only got a head?"

He snickered. "Yep, I only realized after saying it!"

Readying Engetsu on his left hand, given that he's carrying Masaki on his right, reiatsu was soon poured into the zanpakuto.

"Getsuga…" The blade of Engetsu was brimming with reiatsu. "TENSHOU!!!" He roared as he gave the Hollow an uppercut slash.

SLASH! CRACK! PFFFT!!!

The Hollow was literally split into two by the attack. Masaki, who was being held by Isshin's right hand, could only look at the man in wonder. His very visage, that was somehow cool, made her mouth forming an "O", and she finally recalled who this man was.

"AAAAAHHH!!!" She yelled in realization.

"You're the Shinigami from that time!!" She exclaimed in delight. "Great! I wanted to meet you again!"

"Wa…" This caught the man off-guard, on how chirpy she was, despite the situation she was in. "Wait…"

The two conversed, or rather, Masaki conversed with the baffled man while the Hollow mask in front of them were still in the midst of shattering, as a result of Isshin's attack.

"Did they get angry at you when you went back!?" She asked rather cheerily. "Did your wound hurt!?"

"Wa…" He was still baffled by her. "Wait a minute…"

"A WOMAN SHOULDN'T ACT LIKE THAT WHEN SHE'S NAKED!!!" He scolded her, pointing out to the fact that she wasn't even wearing anything in her mindspace.

"TELL ME YOUR NAME!!!" Either oblivious or ignoring his lecture, she chirpily asked/yelled, her hefty bosom bouncing.

…..

At the same time…

"!!!" Shugo felt that burst of reiatsu.

Even if it was no longer within his range, he could feel the origin of the reiatsu that came from the northeast of the town. Just from the flicker of it within the aether that it originated from, it was all too easy to confirm who did that.

"Captain Shiba…?" He raised his brow.

The man's reiatsu had all but vanished, or rather, declined to the point that he's as weak as a normal Human. However, his aether remained largely unchanged, only now that his spiritual side had very much meet its equilibrium with his living side. Sensing the others that seemingly were in the same place as him, he was surprised to sense the bizarre fluctuations within Masaki. It now had…stabilized? There were also traces of Isshin's reiatsu within her, but judging from the surface, it seemed as if Isshin's reiatsu was… Injected? Into her, stabilizing her from the affliction that nearly unraveled her soul.

However, that other aether, coming from the Quincy male… It was no longer at the same place. He could feel that the man was walking away from the place, mayhap at a rather fast pace of walking. He shrugged, given that most likely, the man was all but distraught, judging from the aether fluctuations in the man.

Sighing, he then went to the location those group were in. It was time for him to foresee the aftermath himself.

…..

"Haaah…" Masaki breathed once more, back in the physical world.

Isshin widened his eyes, as he turned to look at Urahara. The Hollow hole that was forming on her had reversed and was non-existent. Kisuke made a V pose with his two hands, grinning at the success of their operation.

"I was able…" He said in a smile. "…to connect your souls."

"…She's fine now." He declared.

On the table, Masaki was breathing stably, despite sweating a bit more. However, her face was no longer showing any signs of suffering, only rather tired perhaps.

"…I see…" Isshin said quietly, forming a small smile on his lips as he leaned down in relief. "That's good… That's good…"

"Ehehe…" As if it was preordained, she giggled gingerly at his remark. "He got angry at me, for acting like that naked."

That earned her a deadpan stare from Isshin, while Kisuke looked at them in amusement, just behind Isshin while flapping open his favorite fold fan. Isshin then formed a fist with his right hand, and grinded Masaki's forehead.

DRRRRRRRRRRRR

"Why are you imagining what happened afterwards??" He questioned her with a deadpan look as he grinded her forehead with his fist. "You don't even look like you're sorry."

"Ah! Ouch." She whimpered, while still smiling cheekily. "That hurts…"

…..

Ryuuken had left. That place, Urahara Shoten, named directly after the owner himself, was too much for him. He didn't notice that it was already raining, and the skies had turned dark. He was drenched in the rain. It was painful for him. He felt so powerless, so useless… The very fact that he couldn't protect Masaki, or curing her, or even that she needed a Shinigami to counter the Hollow within her… It weighted heavily on his mind and crushing his heart.

He walked through the rain, uncaring for the weather. As he looked up, he saw in a distance the silhouette of a familiar person. Holding an umbrella, Katagiri waited for him. He stared at her, not knowing what to feel. He walked past her.

"…Did you…" She asked slowly. "…leave Masaki-sama…with the Shinigami?"

He stopped walking. His mouth was trying to form the words to answer his maid. But in the end…

"…Yes." He said, after much difficulty.

"You can go home and tell my mother…" He paused. "…that Ryuuken…isn't able to protect the Quincy."

Her answer, however, was not one he was expecting. "I'm not."

Ever by the rainfall, he said, no, ordered her all the same. "…I said, go home."

"I won't." She turned around to look at the crestfallen man, rejected his orders still. "I won't leave you alone, Young Master."

"KATAGIRI…" Before he could raise his voice in anger…

"Ryuuken-sama." She sternly called him out.

"Maybe…you forgot about it, but my duty…" She reminded him. "…is to protect you, at all costs."

She then recalled back in the past, when she was but a child when she first met him. "Since the first time I met you… My life has been completely dedicated to you."

"That's why… Please…" Her voice slowly cracked, pleading the man with all her heart, all the love she had for him. "Please… Do not be sad."

"Seeing you sad…" She said, with tears streaking down from her face. "…breaks my heart."

Ryuuken was silent. He was in a stupor, because he never noticed her feelings for him. For him, he always saw her simply as a maid for the Ishida family.

'No, it wasn't that.' He shook his head mentally. 'I was busy looking after Masaki, far too much that I did not notice her, the one closest to me.'

He had a bitter smile on his face, albeit it wasn't shown to Katagiri, since his back was still facing her. 'How ironic.'

"Seeing you cry…" She said, before she was interrupted by Ryuuken. "Katagiri."

"It's okay." He spoke.

Katagiri widened her eyes in surprise. Ryuuken turned his head slightly over his shoulder, enough for her to see his mouth, but his eyes were still covered by the sides of his hair.

"Let's go home." He then said.

Katagiri's eyes were still widened, before having a grateful look on her as she complied: "…Yes. As you wish, Young Master…!"

…..

It didn't take long before Shugo saw the male Quincy in question leaving the area, accompanied by what looks like to be the man's maid. She held the umbrella as the two walked back to what he presumed to be the man's residence.

He then continued to Shunpo towards the location with Isshin's and Masaki's signature. It didn't take long before he reached it. As he dropped down onto the ground, he looked in surprise as he saw the shop in front of him, despite all the rain that was supposed to hinder his sight.

It did not.

"Urahara Shoten…" He muttered, as he saw the writings on the shop's plaque.

It was in Ancient Hingashi-no, Japanese. Regardless, it was all the same for him. The similarities were certainly intriguing. Perhaps it owes to the glimpses into the fragments of memories from the soul that also came from an Earth similar to this one, or the World of the Living as it was known to the Shinigami.

'Urahara…?' He paused for a moment, his mind reeling back to the list of suspects he made earlier.

He finally made the connection, as the man he was about to say the namesake came out from the shop.

"Ah, welcome dearest customer~!" The man, Urahara Kisuke, greeted him rather gleefully, unfolding the fan on his hand and covers the lower of his face with it. "What would you like to buy~?"