Typewriterman: Just in case you don't realize it, the first part of this chapter is a flashback...

The Shinigami Research Institute was an alien existence to any who weren't familiar with it. The scientific experiments, the technological advances, and research for anti-Hollow activities were all concentrated there. At the helm of it all was a brilliant scientist, and very influential amongst the Thirteen Court Companies.

In fact, out of all the captains at the time, he would be the most infamous…but, that would be for another story…

His blond hair and stoic look inspired many of the scientists, as well as the Shinigami who served under him in the Twelfth Division. He created so much, invented, innovated and pushed the boundaries of what was possible and what had never been conceived by minds before. But Kisuke Urahara was no mere mind…he was a genius…

"Captain Urahara…" the young Shinigami excitedly rushed through the laboratory. His white garment flowed behind him, as the papers in his hand fluttered from the sheer reckless speed at which he traveled. "…Captain!"

The blond captain looked up from his own paperwork, messily strewn about the top of his table. He smiled as the man slowed to a halt outside his office, and respectfully stood up and approached the now panting man. "C-captain…Ura…Urahara…" he exhaled tiredly.

"Haha, take some breaths there…" He patted the man's back, "I don't want you heaving all over the instruments, you know?"

"O…okay…" he wheezed again, and took a few calming breaths to steady his nerve. He gulped, somehow never getting over the excitement of his news. "…it worked!"

--

In a separate wing, of which research and experiments were made, the two men entered without ceremony and walked straight to the center of the room. No one else other than them was present, and the room itself was dark; shady, save for a single spotlight that shone on a table in the middle. Upon the operation table lay two things. The first, which was the most obvious, was the body. To be more specific though, it was a Gigai; a faux body used by Shinigami. The second object was quite the opposite. It was harder to notice, as it was only the size of a gumball. In fact, that was what it resembled, as it sat there on the red velvet cushion next to the body.

"I was inspired by your work with gigais, Captain Urahara…" the man walked proudly towards the illuminated table. "Actually, that was what I based most of my research off of…"

"And I see that flattery is quite large in your arsenal…" the white robed man smirked at his subordinate.

"…Uh…" he chuckled nervously, "…anyways, it also led me to begin experimenting with Mod Souls as well…"

Urahara stood silent, not wanting to interrupt the explanation. "Normally, we would input Mod Souls into the corpses of humans, as to fight against Hollows, correct?" The captain nodded silently in agreement. "Well, rather than that, why can't we input them into specialized Gigais? Rather than always separating from a corpse, the gigai and Mod Soul would be infused, creating an entirely new being. Think about it; as specialized anti-Hollow units, they would allow the quick mobilization whenever there was a need for action. They can act as a quick response or even as support until Shinigami squads arrive…and that way-"

"-it would aid the Quincys as well?" Urahara sighed. "Kazuhiro…why must we always have this conversation…?"

"…but Captain!"

"Kazuhiro…just…drop it…" Kazuhiro brushed his hand through his brown hair, and watched as the blond man exited the room. As the door closed behind him, the mood of the room turned even darker.

"…Captain…you…you just don't understand…" he said out loud, obviously exasperated. Kazuhiro walked over towards the table, and glanced down at the body covered by the single white cloth. "…but you do, don't you…?" He brushed a hand through the lifeless body's hair, and took the small green pill in between his index finger and thumb. "…Suzume…?"

She and Ping watched the crowd of people walk about the school hallways. They were all happy, talking about the play, their family, and their lives. They had no idea of the dangers that had befallen their world countless many times already, nor the plot set into motion now.

Suzume sighed out of boredom and took a sip of the punch in her hand. It was fruity, although it wasn't the best she'd had. It was good enough. "So, what'd you think of Vice-Captain Abarai?" the young man sitting next to her asked casually. He took another bite of his chocolate bar, before leaning backwards in the metal fold out chair. "Hmmmm?"

"What about him?" she immediately snapped, not at all amused by Ping's tone of voice that time. "You're not jealous, are you?" She queried, although didn't really care at this point.

"Hah…no…I just find it funny about his situation…" he scoffed, "…Shinigamis falling in love with humans…what bullshit…"

"…really…?" She mumbled back, sarcastic as ever. He took no notice however, as he crumpled up the Styrofoam cup in his hand. "…say, Ping…" Suzume glanced to the redheaded Renji through the crowd, "…this has nothing to do with Kazuhiro's plans, do they? I mean, we're supposed to be keeping an eye on the Ishidas, not-"

"What are you talking about?" His hand gently caressed her face; his eyes and smile warm toward her direction, "…so who are they supposed to be?" he tenderly turned her face to the right, and directed her view to the four at the table; two girls and two adults nearby them.

"…yeah, but she's there too…" Suzume scowled. That damn Kurosaki brat…

"Are you jealous?" he mused with a delighted chuckle. "…you don't have to worry about that…" He fished his hand through his pocket, revealing a small pale tablet. Both knew what it was, and both equally knew that he would be willing to break the Hollow bait. With a single crack, the tablet disintegrated into dust, and Ping's face grew into a menacing grin. "…let's just thin the crowd a bit…it'll make our job a bit easier, don't you think…?"

--

"Just a few minutes until the show starts up again…" an audience member explained to her complaining child.

Renji's heart jumped, and Goosebumps grazed his skin. He felt unwell suddenly, as if the waning crowd had brushed feathers all over his body. His cell phone vibrated, without any tone of a call whatsoever. Maybe it wasn't what he thought it was…that it was someone else's cell phone, who had just happened to have set theirs on silent mode. The only problem was that the seats to either side of him were empty. He casually flipped open the device, and clicked the message open with the center button.

It was an assignment.

Here…? He asked himself breathlessly. The appearance of a Hollow was scheduled close to him, somewhere within the school no less! His eyes darted back and forth, to and fro for the exact coordinates of the emergence. As calmly as he could, he stood up and joined the crowd as they filtered back into the auditorium, pushing against it as he headed back to the entrance.

Within his jean pockets, he handled the plastic gikongan instrument until he readily placed a pill into his palms. During a break in the flow of people, he threw the green ball into his mouth; the sudden shock of energy shot him out of his body.

"Find a seat near the exit…" he commanded his replacement soul. Slouching slightly, his body threw a subtle thumb up and disappeared into the crowd, while he himself threw open his cell phone once again. Adrenaline was driving him now at this point. One minute until Showtime…

Kon: Ok, now's time for...

-- OC Trivia Corner!!! -- (part 2)

Chin Ogiue is the Vice Captain of the thirteenth squad. A family friend of Jushiro Ukitake, he was only an Academy student when the events involving Aizen took place. When news reached Soul Society about Rukia Kuchiki's missing child, Chin volunteered on behalf of his Captain, and went to the real world where he first came across the Ataenushi no Ouju, the "Death Givers". He is more than willing to help the Kurosakis, and has involuntarily become an unofficial employee of Urahara Shoten.

His Zanpakuto's name is Tamotsu, and its first release disintegrates much of his Zanpakuto's length into particles of sand, leaving only a short red hilted scimitar (closest to a Persian Shamshir), which allows Chin to alter his opponents' perception of time.

Height: 178 cm

Likes: Deep dish anchovy pizzas and deep fried sobe, drinking sake in the moonlight

Dislikes: Violent intent against innocent people, the Ataenushi, Ping

Birthday: September 10

Favorite Movie Genres: Spy flicks, Old fashioned mystery stories.

--

Kon: Chin's pretty cool, and is pretty creative with his pranks. Like that time we tricked Urahara into putting on a hat filled with whipped cream...classic!