Soul Societies, part 2.
Disclaimer: Skymaster23 does not condone violence against women.
In the Soul Society.
As Kurotsuchi is at the Ichiban-tai, one of his staff is monitoring the transmissions from Thao's hybrid. "Never existed?" The researcher repeats to himself, and calls Hiyosu over.
"...Urahara must have been thinking of the Human girl's situation-based ability that Taichō described." The Department head exclaims, only to look to the screen, due to how they'd lied about the implant in the Bakkōtō only having one function. "Isolate the last eight seconds and play it back on all spectrums, Tsubokura."
"Right."
They both hear Thao talking to one of the former ryoka from out of view, then see what resembles an avalanche bearing down on him, which he stops with a mass of dirt by punching the ground. "That's one of the Zanpakutō registered to the Jusanban-tai, isn't it, Akon-sanseki?" Tsubokura asks after pausing it.
"Yes, Dang-Fukutaichō is using a ranged attack of Kuchiki Rukia's shikai... Hakuren; according to the file we have on it." Akon answers, having noticed what they're up to, recalling how Kurotsuchi stated that Kuchiki-Taichō refused to allow them to examine the parts of her torso where she was bitten by the first hollow Kurosaki encountered, which he notes possibly would have led to them finding the Hōgyoku before Aizen could escape with it.
He also notes how the covering on the young man's arm reminds him of the first shinigami daikō.
"According to both the Sanban-tai and Kyuban-tai Fukutaichō's, merging with a Bakkōtō increases a shikai's power, even if there's a price to pay." He explained, and all three then heard their Taichō entering the room.
"Indeed. Before obtaining it, Kōkyū Uppen could only look like it could violate the single-type rule that all Zanpakutō are subject to... but, being an intangible hologram, served only to distract the simple-minded hollows." He says, showing a hint of amusement. "I'd give my last paycheck to have seen how the Tōshin reacted when he learned those projections had been given physical form."
Hiyosu and Tsubokura look to each other before the latter tells him of Urahara's last statement. "What do you plan to tell Yamamoto-Sōtaichō, or do we intervene?" The former asks.
Kurotsuchi turned around to consider his next move. He is of course irritated that his predecessor and former jailer would let a specimen get away, but on the other hand, Kumoi most certainly has an unknown amount of Bakkōtō in reserve. Not to mention the trouble Urahara will get into with Yamamoto, the Niban-tai, and the Goban-tai (whose Taichō is currently staying at the Hachiban-tai because his office and quarters were being searched again) for tampering with the "leash" they put on Dang Thao. "I'll inform him of this once the Jūreichi we've discovered Aizen to be looking for is pinpointed... until then, we continue recording until all the data from Retsurai stops flowing."
His subordinates nodded in agreement right before they all heard something that breaks several pieces of equipment.
Back in Karakura.
After Thao pondered how Tatsuki will react once Urahara's plan to have Inoue go to the Yonban-tai is enacted, they have stopped at a police box and four stores while searching for Kaoru-kun's mother, whom he could only say doesn't sell seafood of any kind. "Makes me wonder why she doesn't just change her family name." Tatsuki says, but notices Thao stop, and is about to ask about it when she hears a whistling noise that sounds like it's all around her.
"Is something wrong, Onee-chan?" Kaoru asks her before there's an explosion.
"Nowhere mo ikenai, baddo supiritto!" They hear next, and everybody turns to see Urahara's red-haired employee and a person with an even dumber outfit than Kyōraku-Taichō chasing a hollow with a slight limp, which itself is chasing a konpaku dressed like a cashier.
"I'm running for my afterlife, so will one of you kill this thing already?!"
"Wow, it's Don Kanonji-san and Karakura Red." The unaware Kaoru says as Tatsuki steps infront of him defensively.
"Is that man out of his mind?" Thao thinks to herself, less surprised by the other girl's reaction since she had glanced at another by the first store. She glances at the other two, and clears her throat. "I suddenly remembered that i dropped something by the fending machine over there!" She says, and rushes out of view to ingest a Soul Candy before activating her shikai.
"Nejibana!" She shouts while running in pursuit. This may just be a hollow, but there's something unsettling about it's reiatsu, which she ignores as she jabs it in the neck.
That soon proves she's made two mistakes.
First is that since it's still able to run around with her clinging to the long deceased Fukutaichō's halberd, it must not a hollow after all.
Second is that it stops at a place where there's not enough room for her to move around.
"One distraction after another." It says aloud, and thrashes about, which makes her lose her grip and crash into a parked car. "Can't a guy eat in peace around here?"
The humans running in confusion from that car's windshield breaking with no cause from their perspective makes the second problem worse. "Great, it's the kind... that talks, maybe I'll ask if Kurosaki's clinic is open." She complains after recovering from the impact.
As she's doing that, the arrancar lunges at her, only for both of them to sense another reiatsu signature. "Hoero, Zabimaru!" They hear from an alley, from which a row of tooted metal segments emerge and break it's mask.
"Abarai, i suppose you know more of what's going on?" Thao hopes as it disintegrates.
"Hell if i know; i was showering at Urahara's when we all heard a noise from every direction, then Hitsugaya-Taichō calls about some konpaku trying to fight an arrancar Aizen sent... which i might add that Ikkaku-san obviously didn't defeat."
"It faked a sublimation; can they all do that?" She asks while looking around incase it's still present. "And would that konpaku happen to be a cashier?"
"What... no, he's just a little kid; and this arrancar didn't look like the ones from before, so it's not any of them regenerating." Renji told her, and asked if it identified itself before he arrived, but she said no.
When Thao returns, she notices the old man and the Konpaku haven't left. "Does it really take that long to pick something up?" Tatsuki asks her while Jinta is teasing Kaoru for being unable to get the Kanabō to budge.
"Sorry, it was tiny." Thao lies as she looks away. "You seem to know who he is, Arisawa-san." She says next, causing Kanonji and Kaoru-kun to flinch.
"You dunno who Don Kanonji-san is?!" The latter asks, looking as if he'd just been insulted.
"He's just some old guy on TV. Saw him with Ichigo's sisters and two other kids about a month ago." Tatsuki explains, and blanches when Kanonji faces her.
"Moshikashite, ya say my #1 pupil no namae, supaiki gāru?!" He asks while Thao imagines him being the uncle that Yoruichi puts up with for a day or so.
"That's Arisawa-san to you, maybe i did, and nobody cares." Tatsuki says, and starts to walk away when the Konpaku speaks up.
"Wait a second... if you're looking to reunite Unagiya Ikumi-san with her son, i can give you their address."
At this, Thao twitches an eye. "I suddenly have to find the lady's room!" She shouts as she grabs him and leaves.
Kanonji blinked, then noted that while the teen who remained was glaring at the fleeing one, the child was the only one who hadn't reacted to the Hollow or the floating man with a chain on his chest. "Now that i think of it, that other girl had the same black kimono as Ichigo... but that badge on her arm... five of what?" He thought to himself. "How many of these "shinigami" are there?"
Once Thao is far enough away, she faces the dead cashier. "Let's hear it, Konpaku-san."
"Who... oh, you mean me; I've seen people with outfits like yours before." He says while pointing at her. "A week ago, infact. He had a ginormus knife and was fighting in mid-air against a high school student with a plain old nihontō."
"Did Kumoi violate the truce?" She wonders under her breath, thinking that "Hirako" might be one another assassin of his, then has the Konpaku get back on topic, and is informed that he had been a client of Kaoru's mother last year, but was stabbed by a robber nine days later. She thanks him, then draws her blade, assured by Kumoi, and the S.R.D.I., that the fusion doesn't affect the Konso process.
"Whoa-wait, stop! I just helped you out!" He shouts as he stumbles to the ground. "You're not that jerk's sister, are you?!"
"Settle down, this isn't an execution. I'm sending you to a safer place called the Soul Society." She said calmly as she turned her hybrid around, and stamped his forehead with the pommel.
At the Hachiban-tai, Buford and Shunsui are observing Hinamori and three of her fellow Goban-tai shinigami, with Nanao as referee.
Arrancar Encyclopedia
Ichimaru is standing infront of a monitor in a pale green room. "Due to technical difficulties, we are just now able to describe a few entries to the Laws of Los Noches guidebook."
Entry 104. "Do not use Resurrección when not in a combat or training situation." He says as Harribel's Fracción spot Ggio and Di Roy in their room, and react the way you'd expect.
Entry 331. "Do not use Resurrección for menial tasks." He says as the monitor shows that Zommari, who has no Fracción, using Szayelaporro's Fracción to do his chores.
Entry 332. "Do not use Resurrección in response to violation of Entry 331." He says as a recording of himself is seen returning Aaroniero's jar after holding it upside down to dispose of some tea that got too cold, causing the 9th Espada to break that law.
Helpful Konpaku no seiyuu: Shimono Hiro.