Mayuri entered the room, humming.

He was captain of Twelfth Division and, as such, wore the long white cloak of a captain-class shinigami. Despite his rank, though, he tended to keep to himself and Rukia could understand why. Like many of the recruits to the Department of Science and Technology, he had modified his own body, enhancing this, changing that. Nominally, such alterations were improvements, but, in Mayuri's case, he had almost entirely forsaken the appearance of a human soul. The skin on his face was rubbery, in places black and, in others, white, making his yellow eyes seem all the more fierce. A metal headdress framed his features, which protruded, to the right side of his brow, in a wedge-shape. Two bulges of platsic or metal covered his temples. She had heard it said that they were weapons of some kind, though she didn't care to speculate on their nature.

Unfortunately for her, he seemed unreasonably cheerful today:

"Would you care to lie down, Kuchiki-san."

"Kurotsuchi-taichou, I must admit, I'm not really clear on" – She gasped as he took the collar at her throat and slammed her down onto the table. He didn't hold her there, but she sensed there would be little point in trying to sit up again.

"Your gigai was created by Urahara-san, wasn't it?" he asked conversationally. Everyone knew about Kisuke. She made a noise of assent in her throat, afraid her voice would betray her fear. Mayuri had moved past her to open a panel in the wall and was flicking some switches within: "This room is designed to accommodate an extraordinarily dense level of spiritual pressure. The more reiatsu in the air, the more your soul will absorb, regaining its powers. However, too much spiritual pressure and your body will be overwhelmed. Symptoms include: dizziness, breathlessness, muscle fatigue. You could lose consciousness, stop breathing and eventually die. More spiritual pressure – say, a hundred times that which would be required to kill you – would physically tear you apart." His eyes rolled towards her and he smiled at her expression: "It's not as messy as it sounds. You would simply disintegrate." She made another sound in her throat. This time, it was neither assent nor dissent. She wasn't entirely certain what she was acknowledging, but his smile broadened: "Gigai are made of soma. It's far stronger than reiki, the particles that human bodies are made out of. It's far more durable than reishi, too," he added, referring to the substance of her spirit body: "But, luckily for you, the bonds that are holding your soul in this body have been converted into matter out of your own reiatsu. In theory, they should only be as strong as your own spirit. By exposing you to a strong spiritual pressure, it may be possible to break a few if they are weak. As for the rest, well" – he came and stood over her – "Either way, you're unlikely to be conscious at the time." A sound had started up, a low hum, as if the very walls of the room were vibrating. She felt the pressure change, like dunking her head underwater:

"Is there another way?" She had felt reiatsu like this before, in the presence of her brother, but it was different when it came from something living, like Byakuya. The atmosphere in the room was cold and soulless, but it continued to rise, closing in on her chest. Mayuri, whose own reiatsu was far stronger than hers, showed no sign that he had sensed the change:

"This is the quickest way."

"Maybe – quickest," she panted: "But is there another?"

"No. I don't think so. They want this done today."

"Who? Central Forty-six?" It was becoming much harder to think.

"Hm? Yes. Yes, orders from above. I'll step out of the room now." He moved away from her, out of her field of vision, which, for now, encompassed only the ceiling above her head, raked by lines of spiritual energy. "The pressue should increase substantially, but, over so short a period, it shouldn't kill you."

"What will Central Forty-six – say if I – die here?" she managed, squeezing out the words between breaths. Mayuri's voice seemed to reach her across the gulf of white noise:

"Since they have sentenced you to death, Kuchiki Rukia, I doubt that they would object if I did their work for them. Still, I will endeavour to keep you alive. No doubt they would want things done the proper way rather than their having to clean up anything – unpleasant."

The door hissed shut. All she could hear were her own breaths, short and sharp, and the rushing sound of the currents of reishi beyond. It took forever for his words to drop into place in her mind and, when they did, a tremor ran through her body. She tried to cry out, to call him back, but she could feel the eddies of energy, pulling her away. The pressure crushed her chest, sucking at her consciousness. The sounds of her breathing ceased. The white lights in the room turned grey, and then black. Then the world folded inwards and the last thing she was aware of was the pain as pieces of her were ripped away.